Only A Lone Wolf Howls
by venomouskiss819
Summary: Ryann is an orphaned arctic wolf demon and heir to the throne of her father's ice tribe. Behind her parents' murders is an evil demon who's now after her. Will the Spirit Detectives be able to save her or will she fall prey to her parents' killer? HieiOC
1. Chapter 1

This is my first real story, so please go easy on the reviews. Be gentle!! I know it'll probably seem to be moving at a really slow pace, but I swear by the third chapter atleast one of the four boys will be revealed!

**Disclaimer: **I don't in any way, shape or form own YuYu Hakusho, the characters, the plot, etc. tear. I **do** own Ryann, her pets, and all other OC's that aren't in the original show.

For the sake of this story, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, etc. (all characters that were about 14 in the original show) are now 16, and Kurama (and any characters that were 15) are now 17. The other characters that I don't own have also aged accordingly, such as Hiei who's age I don't know :-P. Also, because of the age change, I'm keeping the names of the junior high schools and making them high schools. Simple enough .

"Speech" (Duh!) ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

As light seeped through the curtains and onto a large bed, a teenage girl grumbled at the brightness and turned over under the covers. She cursed the sunlight and shoved her head under a pillow until a cute yawn escaped from under the covers on the other side of the bed. A jet black wolf puppy crawled out and jumped directly on the pillow, earning a glare from his owner. After a short staring contest, she sighed and got out of bed, walking into the hallway of her apartment. 

Passing a mirror on her way to the kitchen, Ryann Yukiko stopped to admire the black eye she's received not a week earlier. The swelling around her deep blue eye had reduced and was only slightly colored. **I had to get into another fight, didn't I? Oh well, expulsion means that I get to make whole new friends and reform my ways, becoming the perfect student! Huzzah!** She smirked at her reflection. **Tch, yeah right. Another chance to make new enemies and keep my super-cool skills toned. Hehehe, pardon the pun.** Her eyes moved to her long chocolate hair, which was currently sticking out in several odd directions. On this rare occasion, it wasn't in its usual braid and she remembered why she never kept it down.

"It will never stay down after a decent night's sleep, will it Ookami? I'm doomed to a life of looking like I just stuck something in an electrical outlet," Ryann asked her wolf pup, who had just stumbled into the hallway, wrapped in a sheet. "Silly Ooka, want some breakfast? I cut some steak in strips for you last night."

Ookami yipped and took off down the hallway, skidding on the wood floor and running into a wall. Ryann chuckled to herself and followed her companion, taking care not to slide in her socks as he had. The pup turned around and ran back to urge his mistress onward, but only ended up tripping her and sliding with her down the hallway, effectively hitting his head against the wall for the second time.

"Crazy pup, I can take my own sweet time, but nooooooo, you had to rush me and make us both fall. Ooka, I swear one day I'm just going to... urm... alright, so I don't know what I'm going to do with you but it'll be very, very... uhh bad!" Ryann glared at the young wolf as he gave her a look as if to say "yeah, right" and continued walking into the kitchen. She followed him, nudging his backside with her foot, and grabbed some meat from the fridge, popping it into the microwave for a bit before putting it in a dish and setting it on the floor. The wolf's indignance and being pushed aside vanished as he dashed over and began happily munching on his meat.

"Oh! Ookami, I have to go to Meiou High School sometime today to register for school. It's the closest and I have to keep a cover for you-know-what!" The pup stopped munching on a piece of meat to stare up at her perched on a stool. "Yes, I know nobody is listening right now, but still! You never know, hehehe." Ookami just rolled his eyes at the childish 17-year-old and dipped his head to continue his breakfast. "Ookami, look at me when I'm talking to you, damn it!" Her frustration passed over the pup as he continued eating. "Gah! I hate you, freakin evil wolf. You have to resist the urge to be evil, and not tear up the house, get loose, or anything that could damage you, the house, or someone else while I'm out. I mean it, or else I'll find the wolf that had you and give you back!"

Ookami stopped chewing and stared up at Ryann with his adorable puppy eyes. He looked completely innocent, if it wasn't for the large piece of half-eaten meat hanging from his mouth and the huge puddles of juice and drool surrounding the pup and his bowl. Ryan sighed again, **That damn wolf will be the death of me one day**, and walked out of the kitchen to shower and get ready for the day.

* * *

Down the street from her apartment, Ryann was walking... errr... skipping to Meiou High School to register herself. Why would she be so excited about this? She isn't. She's skipping because it causes people to stare at her funny. Everybody stares at people who are practically jumping down the street with a huge creepy smile on their face.** It's always worth it to see the look on some people's faces. Like that old woman I ran up to and hugged. I swear she nearly had a heart attack, hah!** She rounded the corner and nearly ran into... one of the main characters? Thugs for her to be mobbed by as means to introduce the main characters?

Nope, a fire hydrant. Sadly, I have other plans for the story hehehe. Soon my friends, soon!

Onward!!! Ehm, anyway. She continued her journey, no longer skipping but walking with one foot in each cement block. She had to amuse herself somehow. She finally made it to the school, and waltzed right in. It wasn't a school day so there weren't any students around, but she had called ahead and knew the principle and guidance counselor were there. The guidance counselor was sitting behind a desk in the main office reading some weird book and was blushing madly for some strange reason. Ryann cleared her throat, and the lady jumped and accidentally tossed the book, hitting the place Ryann's head was before she ducked. The book fell to the floor, and its title was clear. _The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For All of Us._(AN: See bottom of page!!) Ryann raised and eyebrow at the woman who looked mortified and was trying desperately to avert attention from herself.

"Excuse me, but I have an appointment with Onagomi-sensei to enroll for school next week. Should I wait out here for him?" Ryann was having such a hard time talking and holding in her laughter at the poor woman's embarassment.

"_Ahem_ Sorry... what was your name again?"

"Ryann Yukiko"

"Ryann? Well Ryann-san, you can go ahead back to see Onagomi-sensei. He has been expecting you. If you'll excuse me please." She practically tripped over herself trying to get the book and retreat back into another room. Ryann chuckled to herself as she made her way into the principle's office.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Ookami was sitting on a couch in the living room, watching TV. He yawned and unceremoniously fell off of the couch, trying to get down and find something to amuse himself. He entered his mistress's bedroom and began to explore under her bed. They had just moved 5 days ago, but she had already shoved a load of junk under there. 

Unamused, Ooka left the room and started running around the tile floor in the kitchen, sliding in every direction. He ended up hitting the walls and cabinets almost every time, but it was something to do. Finally, he gave up and flopped down in the floor.

**Maybe I can risk resizing for a while, just to amuse myself a bit and not end up getting in trouble. I can keep everything hidden, and I should be able to reach that delicious smelling meat in the fridge! **Ooka closed his eyes and began to shimmer. A white sparkling mist surrounded his body and grew. As it cleared, a wolf identical to him but appearing full grown got up and stretched his front paws. He sauntered over to the fridge, nudged it open, and stood on his hind legs to grab a container of ham.

As he jumped down to tear open the package, he looked up and saw a black blur move away from the kitchen window. **Oh shit!** He closed his eyes and concentrated again, and found out that some type of demon had been at the window and was currently running away, and had left his range. **Damn, she's so going to kill me. It's all the ham's fault, taunting me with it's salty goodness. Oh well, it's done... Might as well!** With a large wolfish grin (hehehe), Ookami ripped into the package and ate all of the ham, leaving the torn plastic in the middle of the kitchen. With a belch, he resized again and went to hide in the bath rub, awaiting his mistress's return.

* * *

Author's Note: First, I don't own the book, I just used it for a bit of comedy. Second, I have nothing against lesbians, I only used the book because I actually saw somebody reading it in public, and I burst out laughing that someone would read a sex book in a coffee shop. 

Anywhoo, I can guarantee that I won't be posting every day because I have summer work to do, sadly, but I will atleast post one new chapter every week. Constructive criticism is welcome!!


	2. Chapter 2

Yay Part 2!!! Awesomeness! Anyways onward to the story... oh, right!

**Disclaimer: **I own not the wondrous story of the YuYu Hakusho Gang or anything concerning them. Ryann, Ookami, and the plot and OCs to be later revealed are mine. O.O No Touchie!!

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Ryann left Meoui High School with a scowl on her face. Apparently, she had been placed in the advanced classes, and had been assigned a guide for the first week of school. A poncy braniac would be showing her around for a week, despite her protests. **I haven't even started school and I don't want to go. Why did I have to be assigned an escort? Gah, I want to keep to myself and only myself! Hmph!** Instead of acting insane as she did on her way to the school, she sulked the entire way home. Not once did she lift her head or see the blur race away from her apartment as she started walking up the stairs. 

"Ookami, I'm home! And sadly I'm all set up to go to school on Monday. Oh well, I'll get over it eventually. How about some ham for dinner... Ookami? Where are you?" Ryann walked into the kitchen from the hallway and slipped on the ham package, hitting her head on the counter as she fell.

Ookami heard the thump and, despite his better judgment, rushed to his mistress's aid. He slid into the kitchen to see her on the floor with swirly eyes and drool running down her chin. **To wake, or not to wake... I don't want to die today, but she feeds me... _sigh_ here goes nothing.** He pounced on her stomach and began to lick her face and nudge her. Ryann still wasn't moving.

**Gah, get up! Don't make me feel worse!** Ookami whined at her, and sat down on her chest. He thought for a while, and moved forward onto her face. Staring at her nose, he sighed and said a short prayer in his head. He licked her face one more time, hoping she'd get up, and _**CHOMP**_.

"AHH! Bastard!! Ouch, damnit! Ookami Yokiko, get the hell out of this kitchen if you value your life!" Ooka took off down the hall immediately. **Shoulda stayed in the ****tub**_** grumble.**_

Ryann got up, after hitting her head on the counter a second time, and rubbed her throbbing nose. "I guess that's a no for ham tonight, since there's NONE LEFT!"

She opened the fridge and scanned for something to fix easily, and a thought hit her. She began to turn red in the face and slowly turned around and walked into her bedroom. Ookami could practically see the steam rising from her head as she sat down on the bed and turned her glare to the bathroom and his current hiding spot.

"Ooka, could you come here, please? I have a question for you." Her calm demeanor didn't fool him, but he new better than to disobey an order in that mood. He carefully crawled out and walked towards her, keeping his head down but his eyes fixed on her. She stayed still until he was close enough, and she swooped down and picked him up by his scruff.

"Ookami, you didn't by any chance use your ki to change sizes and eat the ham in the fridge earlier, did you?" Her voice was low and quiet, hiding the anger bubbling just below the surface. Ookami whimpered slightly and slowly nodded to her. He winced as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

"Ooka, what the hell am I going to do with you? You know why we're here, in the Ningenkai, and showing your ki or even being full sized in the city could give us away. Why else do you think I have to make myself look like a human?" She released his scruff and put him gently on the bed. With a sigh, she rolled over and stared out her window. She could have sworn she saw a black blur and instantly closed her eyes, searching for a trace of ki. She found one, but couldn't identify it. **Good, it must not be him this time.** Ryann gave Ookami a hug and got under her covers, falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

On Monday morning, after a full day of fencing practice and meditation, Ryann put on the ugly school uniform and began her walk to school. Ookami had promised to stay in his small form and not to use his ki in any way, but she put a binding spell on him before she left. 

As she rounded to corner and entered the school yard, she nearly ran into a mob of girls wearing their skirts much shorter than they normally were, and their faces were covered in a layer of make-up. Many had perfectly manicured nails and overbearing perfume, making Ryann gag as she side-stepped them all and began walking to her first class. A sudden weight on her shoulder made her back tense up and she nearly flipped the person over her shoulder. As she turned, she knew she had met her "guide."

A tall guy with long red hair and dazzling emerald eyes had moved from the center of the mob to catch up with her. To be frank, he was utterly gorgeous. She had learned long ago, though, that looks were most definitely not everything and she felt nothing when he smiled charmingly at her.

"Excuse me, but I haven't seen you around before. Are you Ryann-san?" His voice was pure silk and had a tad pleading behind it. He obviously wanted to escape the fangirls.

"Yes, I am Ryann, and I assume you're Shuichi Minamino. However, I don't need any guide and I'd appreciate it if you'd let go so I can go to class" she said coolly and continued walking into the school. Or tried. His grip on her arm tightened slightly and she turned back to see him glancing nervously over his shoulder. Every single girl in the group was now glaring at the new girl who "stole away their Shuichi." She let a slight smirk form on her lips at this. **Riiiiight, like that would really happen.**

"Please, just let me walk you to class. It's proper manners," he practically begged. The girls had begun to advance, and Ryann chuckled slightly at their supposed intimidation. She nodded and began walking into the school, a seemingly calm Shuichi following silently.

They walked down the hallway together and Ryann thought he would leave her once they passed his class, but as she rounded the corner to the lockers, he followed and leaned against the neighboring locker as she emptied her bag. He was looking at her in a calculating way and she was getting highly annoyed with it.

"Could you not stare at me please? It's quite unnerving."

Shuichi blinked and grinned sheepishly. "I apologize, I was thinking."

"Fair enough, just don't stare at me," she said as she heard the bell ring. As she turned towards her first class, she felt a strange sensation. Not only did she sense something, but her nose was picking up a very subtle scent. She closed her eyes and tried to tell the direction of the ki she sensed and the scent smelled, but it seemed too close to discover a true direction. Snapping her eyes open, she spun and nearly ran straight into Shuichi.

"Is everything alright, Ryann-san? You seem afraid of something," Shuichi commented with a worried look on his face.

"I'm not afraid! I'm just deathly aware." Ryann had said this slowly, but her mind and her heart were racing. **What if he's found me? Oh god, what if **_**she**_** has found me? Where the hell is the ki coming from and how did they get into the school? **Her eyes darted around in every possible direction, hoping to find some trace of the ki. Atleast if she found one of her nightmares were actually in the school, she could get a head start. With a final sigh, admitting defeat, she glanced up at Shuichi (did I mention that she's only 5' 1/2" tall? Oops, hehehe.) and glared slightly. "And stop calling me 'Ryann-san'. Just Ryann is fine. Titles annoy me."

Shuichi looked at her oddly and asked one last time,"Are you sure you're alright?" Receiving a nod, he continued to stare at her, but dropped the subject. "Well, the late bell will probably ring soon, and we need to get to class. I believe we have the same class first?"

"We have the same schedule. Onagomi-sensei thought it would be a great idea to have us in the same classes, so if I need help I already know somebody who can help me." **Like I really need the help. Stupid principle. **Her flat tone just reeked with enthusiasm as she started walking away.

"Err, Ryann?"

"Ja?"

"That's the wrong way."

"Uhh, oops? Hehehe." She spun around, and started muttering to herself. Right as she was walking through the door, the late bell rang, making Ryann jump slightly. She saw the teacher glaring at her, and she smirked, taking her time to reach her seat. Luckily, she was able to sit in the far back and didn't have to sit next to anybody. As the teacher started droning about something or another, Ryann pulled out a notebook and began to doodle random things, hoping the day would soon be over. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach, though, that even if the school day would go by quickly, the day would end up being a long one.

* * *

I think this is sufficient intro. The 3rd Chapter should be up soon! Until then, uhhh, whoever you may be!!! Feedback is welcomed!! 


	3. Chapter 3

I know I said that it'd be about a week, cause I thought that I was going to be working today, but that didn't happen and I'm bored so I'm writing... again. Again, it's still kinda slow-moving (to me anyway). Action, comedy, and the like will be coming in the next chapter!!

**Disclaimer**: Yu Yu Hakusho isn't mine. Everything associated with Yu Yu Hakusho isn't mine. All that falls in the "other" category is...

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

"Thank god it's over!" Ryann practically sprinted out of the classroom and left the evil building she had to stay in for hours on end. She ignored the odd looks she received for the outburst, and the glares she was still getting from the fangirls, and began walking back to her apartment. **Ookami better not have gotten in trouble again. I swear that wolf will be the death of me. _Sigh_.**

As her apartment building became visible, she got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She did a quick scan for any demon energy in the area and promptly ducked into an alley and out of sight. **Here? How did he get here? Scratch that, how did he find me here!? Okay, I have to hurry home and get Ooka. **She slowly looked around the corner of the building and, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, began to slowly slink out of the alley. Sighing with relief, she began to speed walk down the street. A hand shot out from behind a randomly placed car, and a sharp, dazzling pain in her head caused Ryann to slowly lose consciousness. **Oh damn.**

* * *

'Shuichi' had stayed after the final bell to study a bit more, and to contemplate the new girl in his class. **There was something strange about her. I wonder why she froze up in the hallway earlier? And I can sense something in her, but I'm not sure what. It's unusual...** He shook his head and started packing up his books, accidentally knocking a pen off the table. His eyes followed it as it rolled down the floor to the back of the room, and stopped near a notebook. 

**I wonder...** He opened it to see who it belonged to, and saw the name 'Ryann Yukiko' surrounded by little drawings of mythical creatures and intricate daggers. **Wow, she's an artist. Well, I better return this to her.** He put her notebook in his bag and began walking up the street that Ryan had been an hour or two earlier. Onagomi-sensei had given Kurama her address, phone number, and such in case he needed to contact her. He was, of course, in charge of her for atleast the first week of school. Strange.

He walked up two flights of stairs to Ryann's apartment, and knocked on the door. All he heard in response was a startled yelp and a crash. Worried that someone had gotten hurt, he turned the knob and was surprised to find it was unlocked. A pure black wolf pup was laying upside-down about a foot away from a broken flower vase. He immediately jumped up and began to growl at the newcomer. **He doesn't smell like a four-legger. I wonder what he is? **Ookami though to himself.

"Hey little guy, are you alright?" Kurama asked the pup. Averting his eyes from the glaring canine, he looked around the apartment. "Ryann? Sorry to barge in but you left your notebook at school!" Receiving no answer, tried to walk further down the hallway. The wolf was still growling and attempting to block the path to his mistress's room.

**First she doesn't come home, now an intruder wants to come in and nose around? I don't think so. I just hope she forgives me for doing this!** Seeing Kurama step over his small form, Ookami closed his eyes, shimmering for a minute, and grew larger than the average adult wolf. He turned and let a low growl form in his throat.

Kurama spun around and came face to face with a huge wolf where the pup had been. His eyes narrowed and his hand started moving to the rose hidden in his red locks. With a flick of his wrist, the rose transformed to his infamous rose whip and he took a fighter stance infront of the wolf.

The two realized at the same time that they both had demonic powers. Kurama retracted his whip and Ookami sat down, looking oddly at the boy infront of him. He opened his mind to the strange being and asked telepathically, **What are you? You don't smell like a human to me?**

Kurama blinked and tilted his head. **You don't seem like an ordinary wolf either. I'm a fox demon in this human form. **

**I thought you were a canine. Why are you here? And do you know where my mistress is?**

**She left her book in class today. You don't know where Ryann is either?**

**Oh no...** The worried tone of the wolf's voice unnerved him further. He could see the frightened look in his eyes and immediately began to wonder if the wolf knew where she was.

Ooka walked around Kurama and walked into his owner's bedroom. He crawled under the bed and came back up with a box of pictures and notes. Nosing the box back into the hallway, he addressed Kurama again. **What's your name, fox?**

**Ryann knows me as Shuichi Minamino, as do all other humans. My close friends call me Kurama, though. Shuichi is my human name. And what should I call you? **He followed the wolf into the kitchen and saw it motioning with its head to the table. Kurama reached down and picked up the box, placing it on the table and taking a seat.

**I am Ookami, and I'm Ryann's pet and guardian. Evidently I failed. She's been kidnapped, I'm sure, by a wolf demon from the Makai. His name is Kanaye. All I know is that he's been after Ryann for a while, which is why we're here.**

After looking at a picture of a seemingly normal boy with his arm around an annoyed looking Ryann, Kurama turned to Ookami with an odd expression. **Why are you telling me?**

Ooka stared at him. **You are one of the Spirit Detectives, are you not? You work for Koenma. This is a kidnapping involving a demon. He'll probably call you in a while, once it's confirmed that Kanaye kidnapped her, but it's probably better to go now, don't you think? **

"Crazy wolf." Kurama took the picture and began walking to the door. He assumed the wolf was right, and decided to brief Yusuke and Kuwabara on what he knew before Koenma called them.

**You know, I can understand human speech!!!** Ookami huffed and grabbed the box in his mouth, walking back into the bedroom. He curled up on her bed and inhaled her scent, gently whining to himself.

* * *

"So, theres this girl from your school, and she's been kidnapped by a wolf demon... And you found this out by talking to her pet wolf with demonic powers?" Yusuke gave Kurama a strange look after he explained everything he had just learned. "Have you been smoking some of those freaky Makai plants?" 

Kurama glared at the detective and glanced over at Kuwabara, who was on the floor playing with his cat, Eikichi. He rolled his eyes and sat down, waiting for the call from Koenma. Yusuke was chuckling at his own joke and went back to playing a video game. After a couple minutes, the door to Yusuke's apartment slowly opened and Kurama saw Botan slink in with the briefcase. Botan put a finger to her lips and tiptoed up to the couch Yusuke was sitting on, his attention fixed on his game. Kuwabara was still focused on the cat. Kurama smirked as Botan inhaled deeply but silently, and he plugged his ears.

"YUSUKE!!!"

"GAH!!!" Yusuke jumped in the air and fell on the floor, nearly squashing Eikichi in the process. Instead, he landed on Kuwabara, who had jolted forward and was face-down on the carpet. "Damn it Botan, don't do that! What do you want, anyway?"

Botan was giggling slightly, and put the briefcase on the floor, opening it towards the group. Koenma in his toddler form appeared on screen.

"I have a mission for you. A 17-year-old girl was kidnapped by a wolf demon earlier today. The demon in question is named Kanaye and keeping her for some odd reason. Her name is Ryann Yukiko, and as far as I know, there is nothing particularly special about her. Either way, it is your job to find her and bring her back. I'll send a portal near his cave in half an hour."

Yusuke had an odd look on his face and turned slowly to Kurama. "How did you know this?"

"The wolf told me."

Yusuke grinned sheepishly and turned to Botan with a vein sticking out on his forehead. "And why did you need to scare the hell out of me?!?!" Kurama walked out of the room and down to the street. He saw a blur and looked to his left.

"Hello Hiei. We have a mission, but I doubt you want to come with us."

"To rescue a ningen girl from a wolf demon? I have better things to do."

Kurama hid a smile. "Then why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hn. Apparently my will to go doesn't matter anymore." He glared out into space and Kurama began to chuckle. **So Koenma is making you come.**

**The toddler is threatening me with prison. **The glare intensified and Hiei's hand began to smoke.

"Um, Hiei? You're hand is on fire." The smoke ended and Kurama looked forward again. The two walked in silence for a while, until he turned to the fire demon and asked,"Do you know anything we don't about this case?"

"No. Why would I?" Hiei looked at the fox in annoyance. Kurama put his hands up in defense and backed away slightly. Hiei paused a moment, and rolled his eyes. "The bakas are coming."

Heavy footsteps behind them caused the two to turn to Yusuke and Kuwabara running down the street. "Koenma's about to set up the portal in the park. We better go there now. It seems like forever since I've had a real mission. I'm ready to kick some demon ass!!" Yusuke turned around and ran back the way they came. Kuwabara looked after him and sighed, panting slightly. He, too, began running in the other direction.

"Shall we?" Kurama looked to Hiei. A slight breeze blew by and he was nowhere in sight. Kurama shook his head and walked calmly after the two, thinking about what would come.

* * *

There, all four boys, and Botan are now in the story. Hah! This part actually had no pre-planning, so I hope it isn't that bad. I was just bored and yeah. I might end up re-writing it eventually but it fits so... Ja! More shall come, eventually!! Hehehe... 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! It's been a while. I went to an IMAX theater yesterday to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!!! It was ah-mazing! I know it isn't at par with the book, but it in itself was awesome. So cool. Alright, I'm done fawning, hehehe.

**Disclaimer: **I, in no way shape or form, own anything about Yu Yu Hakusho. Ryann, Ookami, and the other differences are mine. (Do I have to add this to every chapter?)

"Speech" ; **Thoughts **; _Actions_

* * *

The four boys stepped out of the portal to find themselves in a sort of countryside. A small mountain formation was to the right, and to their left was a pond.

"Alright, lets go!" Yusuke and Kuwabara started walking forward inbetween the mountain and lake. After a few paces, he realized Hiei and Kurama weren't following.

"Well? Come on."

The fire demon rolled his eyes and started walking towards the mountain. "The energy is coming from over there."

"Oh. Kuwabara, why didn't you tell me that?"

"Uhh..."

"Might I suggest we get going?" Kurama, too, turned on his heel and began walking after Hiei. Yusuke hit Kuwabara over the head, and after a short verbal fight, they followed suit.

As the mountain grew closer, the four could see a cave opening in the side. A demon was definitely in there, but he didn't feel very powerful. **This should be easy.** Yusuke was expecting a slight battle, but an easy one.

A few yards into the cave, an interesting sight met the four pairs of eyes. Ryann was chained to the wall, looking quite annoyed to say the least. A couple feet away, a wolf demon, Kanaye presumably, was carefully preparing fish he must've caught from the pond. His hair/fur was black in color and he had faded brown eyes. He was fit, but wasn't very tall and didn't appear threatening in the least. He began to whistle as he gutted the fish and everyone else in the cave sweatdropped.

Kanaye glanced adoringly up at Ryann, receiving a glare, and realized that they weren't alone. He quickly jumped up and ran infront of her.

"What are you doing in my cave?" He tried to stare menacingly, but only ended up looking stupid.

"We're here to release the girl, and kick your ass for taking her. What did you expect?" Yusuke looked at Kanaye oddly for a second, then took a fighting stance and waited for the wolf to attack.

"Don't worry, Ryann my love, I won't let them take you!"

"..."

Three of the boys were now staring at him in confusion, Hiei was glancing outside in boredom, and Ryann was rolling her eyes. **He reminds me of Kuwabara with Yukina. Eww.** Yusuke shook his head, trying to clear his head of the disturbing thought.He turned to Kanaye, waiting for him to make the first move. Kanaye jumped at him and promptly fell to the floor. Yusuke had side-stepped. After going through this a few times, Kanaye tried to punch and kick him, to no avail. Yusuke sighed, dejected at having such a weak opponent, and cracked his knuckles. He brought his arm back, preparing to punch the weak wolf, only to be stopped by his mission yelling, quite loudly in fact.

"STOP IT!!" **Stupid guys, have to physically fight over everything. I swear they make no sense at all. **"What the hell are you doing? Kanaye, get your ass over here. NOW!"

Kanaye scurried over to her and dropped to his knees. "Yes, my love? What can I do for you."

Yusuke face-faulted. "What the hell? Get back here, I was about to pound you into the ground!" Kanaye ignored him, looking at Ryann on the floor.

"Did it ever occur to you that they're here to rescue me? If you let me go, you won't be mercilessly slaughtered."

"Why would they need to rescue you?"

A vein was beginning to show on Ryann's forehead. "I don't know. I'll take a guess and say it's cause you KNOCKED ME OUT, KIDNAPPED ME, AND CHAINED ME TO THIS FREAKING WALL!!!!" Kanaye cowered on the floor and scrambled away from the very angry female.

After a few deep breaths, Ryann regained her composure. "Well? Is anyone going to unchain me from this wall? I can't say this is comfortable." Kurama started walking forward to help her, only to be growled shakily at by the still cowering wolf demon. He sweatdropped.

"Kanaye, I swear if you don't shut up right now, I will personally make sure you have no limbs left." Ryann voice was low and threatening. Sending the wolf demon into a corner of the cave. **That boy has got to be the most annoying being on the planet. Why did he have to go after me? Damn it. **Kurama walked up to her and started undoing her chains.

"Shuichi? Uhh, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. I'd like to know how you know a wolf demon."

"Yeah, that's an interesting story too. So, who are your friends?" She looked past him at the indignant fighter with disgustingly gelled hair, a tall ugly boy who was staring at a wall, and a short boy with spiked black hair and a bandana around his forehead. **Hmm, the short one has demon energy, as does the fighter. Shuichi does too? Ohhh, that explains that feeling I had at school earlier today. And I guess the ugly one is a human?**

**Correct.**

"Yah!!" Ryann, now free, screamed in surprise at the new voice in her head. **Who are you and why are you in my head? **

Kurama started laughing at her startled expression. "Calm down, Ryann, that was me. The one fighting with Kanaye was Yusuke, the taller boy is Kuwabara, and the one in all black is Hiei. And you're right. Hiei is a demon, Yusuke is half-demon, Kuwabara is a human, and I have demon energy as well. That, too, is a long story."

"I'm sure we all have several long stories to tell, but I have to get home and see my pet. Poor Ooka is probably worried that I didn't come home."

"He's fine, and he knows we came to get you."

"Um, okay? Assuming that's a long story too, can we go now?" Ryann began walking out of the cave.

"What about him?" Yusuke was pointing to Kanaye, who was getting up out of the corner and walking to her. Ryann sighed and turned to the sad wolf-demon. **Poor guy. I almost feel bad for him.**

"Kanaye, I'm sorry but I don't love you and I'm not going to be your mate. I don't care what mom said. You have to find someone else. And stop following me! I left for a reason!!"

"But..." He sighed and looked at his feet. Ryann kissed his cheek and walked out of the cave, four slightly befuddled boys in tow.

After walking for a couple minutes, Ryann felt eyes on her back and turned. All but Hiei were looking at her strangely. Hiei was just staring. Creepily.

She turned back around and hoped they'd look away. They didn't. She was getting annoyed. "What?!?!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara shrank back a little, and Kurama blinked at her outburst. Hiei just... stared.

Kurama ventured a question. "What just happened between you and Kanaye back there?" He tentatively stepped forward.

"I'll tell you when we get to Koenma's office. Who's supposed to call for a return portal?" Again she received those looks. **Okay, that's getting annoying. And what's with that little one, he's just being creepy. **Hiei's look turned into a glare and he turned his head. **Hmm, guess he can read minds. Oopsie? Hehehe. **She smirked and turned pointedly to Yusuke. He seemed to be the leader, after all.

"Oh, right." He took out what appeared to be a compact and opened it. A blue-haired girl appeared on screen. **So Botan's still working for him. Don't know how she does it.** "Botan, we need a portal."

"Alrighty then! You'll be coming to Spirit World. Koenma has something to speak with you about. The girl will be coming to. Tata!!" The screen turned black and Yusuke closed it with a sweatdrop at the girl's perkiness.

The portal appeared right infront of them a minute later, and the four boys and girl stepped in, on their way to an interesting conversation amongst themselves and Koenma. **Let the fun begin!**

* * *

Well, that's the chapter! The next one will be really information-filled and will probably be significantly longer than the previous ones. I don't know when it'll be out, but it'll be a couple days. Reviews are appreciated!! Ciao, darlings! 


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, I have a couple of things to say before I start the story.

--I'm really surprised at how many people are reading my story! I'm not sure how they're liking it, though. There will be no "review or I won't post" thing, but I'd really appreciate it if you guys would tell me how I'm doing.

--The last chapter I put up doesn't really flow the way I pictured it in my head, so I may re-write it sometime soon. Just a head's up.

--As some of you know, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is coming out on Saturday, and I'm going to the release party at midnight. The thing is, I want to read the book right after I get it, but I still have some summer work to do for school and I'm not sure how long that will take. It may be over a week before I post again, and I'm really sorry if it is.

Okay, moving on to the actual story!!

**Disclaimer: ** Don't own anything about YYH. Everything not in it, though, is mine.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts **; _Actions_

* * *

The group exited the portal and saw the familiar surroundings of Koenma's office. **Gah, still no chairs in here. **Ryann stepped forward a bit, and promptly sat on the floor. She was far enough away to still see Koenma sitting at his desk, who had yet to notice them, by the way. 

They all waited a minute, but Koenma just kept stamping random papers. A vein in Yusuke's head began pulsing.

"TODDLER!!"

"AHH!"

Ryann began snickering as the pint-sized ruler fell sideways off of his chair, taking a stack of papers with him.

"Yusuke, don't do that!"

"Well, if you'd been paying attention, we've been here for a while now!"

"Really?"

Everyone face faulted, except Ryann who fell over backward. **Is he really that dim? **She saw everyone move to the wall and lean against it. **Hmm, uniformity. So sad. **She remained sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, staring expectantly at Koenma. He was staring back.

"What?" Ryann shrugged and continued staring.

"Anyway, Ryann, I assume they don't know about you yet? They weren't gone long enough for you to tell the whole story." She shook her head.

"Nope, they came, Kanaye got scared, I was released. Now I'm here, and did you know the floor is really cold in a skirt? A couch or chair or something would be nice, you know."

Koenma sweatdropped. "Yes, you told me last time."

"Wait, last time? I'm confused. How does she know you?" Kuwabara asked. Ryann noticed his voice was low and scratchy.

**Not very appealing, but I figured as much by his face. Eww. **Ryann, who had turned to look at the speaker, saw Kurama smile slightly and Hiei smirk. She glared at them. **Could you two get out of my head? Private place here. I would say it if I thought it was important. **Kurama's smile grew and he tried to hide it by ducking his head. Hiei's expression just turned more amused. **Gah! Why do I bother?**

Turning back to Koenma, she realized that he had said something to her and was staring at her pointedly. "Uhh, what?"

Koenma sighed. "You weren't listening, were you?"

"Nope, not in the least." She smiled cutely at him as Yusuke and Kuwabara snickered.

"Oy. I said, take your humanoid form."

"Ohhhhh... why?"

"To show them what you are."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, Ryann. You have to. And before you ask why, just know that Botan is here and I will bring her in here if I need to." A horrified look passed Ryann's face, and she bowed in obedience.

"Alright, fine. But I'm not standing up."

She closed her eyes, and was covered in a light blue fog. The four boys felt a sudden rise in ki, and realized that she had hidden her energy. Kurama's eyes widened as he made the connection. **Well, that explains a lot. Like why she has a demon wolf for a pet. And why she froze when that guy's energy was near the school. **

**And when she felt my energy outside of her window. **Kurama turned to the fire demon next to him. Hiei was looking straight ahead at the fog. **I sensed demon energy and tracked it to her appartment. It was that wolf pet of hers. I went back later to find the human who owned it, and I saw her. I couldn't find out much about her, though, because she noticed me and I had to leave.**

**And you didn't tell me about this earlier because...?** Kurama was smiling slightly at the fact that his friend was stalking a female, and a rather attractive one at that.

**Not important. **Hiei saw the smile and glared, closing his mind to his friend and the lecherous demon inside him. He knew what Yoko was probably thinking.

The two turned back to where Ryann was sitting to see she was still covered in the fog. Koenma was getting annoyed.

"Ryann, get rid of the fog!"

"I don't want to!" A muffled reply came from inside the fog. The voice was a tad deeper. Everyone could now tell she was in no way human. "You told me to change, and I changed!! Hehehe..."

"Don't make me get Botan!"

"Damn. Fine!" The fog cleared and Ryann waved away any smoke still in the air. Her hands now had very sharp claws on them, and her canines were longer and pointed. Two pure white wolf ears adorned her head, and her white tail was waving behind her. Her formerly brown hair had lengthened, and was now white as well, though it was no longer in its traditional braid. She turned to watch her tail in a mesmerized way. "This form is much more comfortable, anyway." Her voice was indeed deeper, and the boys saw her eyes were a deeper shade of blue. One was blackened slightly.

"Oh damn, my hair came out," Ryann grimaced, and grabbed the hair tie, putting it up in a quick bun. She looked around."Uhh, can you stop staring at me, now? It's creepy."

Three of the boys looked away, but Hiei took a little longer than the others to do so. Kurama noticed and laughed slightly at his friend. Hiei knew why the fox was laughing and refused to look up at his friend.

Koenma was back to stamping papers. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Uhh, Koenma? We have some things to discuss, I'd imagine?" Kurama asked politely. Koenma looked up from his papers, and cleared his throat.

"Yes, right. Ryann, they need to hear your story. It has to do with their next mission."

"Uhm, how much of my story?" She looked a little sad, but refused to show anything.

"All of it. It's necessary." She sighed, and turned to the group, still sitting on the floor. Her ears were down against her head, and her tail had stopped waving.

"Once upon a time, a female wolf demon from a powerful pack left to hunt, by herself. Mura was her name, and it isn't traditional to hunt alone. The pack had been attacked recently, though, and Mura was the only wolf not injured or helping to heal. At around the same time, an ice apparition had left his tribe for some solitude. His name was Yasuo, and he was the prince, if you will, of the tribe. His father was ruler.

"Eventually, the two crossed paths. They talked for hours, and promised to meet again. This went on in secret for nearly a year. See, both were members of communities where being with someone of a different power wasn't allowed, and Yasuo was already betrothed. But they fell in love, and Mura became pregnant. The two left their own tribes, and lived alone in the part of the woods where they had met. About 9 months later, a baby girl was born. The mixture had formed an arctic wolf, a wolf demon with ice powers. They named her Ryann. That would be me.

"Fast forward 5 years. My mother went to visit her family, and to talk to the pack about taking me in. They told her, 'Only if she marries one of the tribe can she become one of us again.' That's where Kanaye came in. At age 5, we were betrothed. Just because mom wanted me to be part of the pack. She sent a letter to my dad about this, and decided to stay for a while. She was killed a week after that. Nobody really knows why.

"Then, about 4 years later, my dad was called back to his tribe. His father had died and he was the next in line to the throne. I don't know why he went without me, but he told me to stay in the house. I never heard of him after that, and his dead body was found two days later. I was 9. I left the house and started wandering. I found a wolf pup, Ookami, and we became companions ever since.

"I never did meet the ice apparitions in my father's tribe, so I went to the wolves for shelter. They wouldn't let me in, saying I was a mix and wasn't allowed to be with them unless I was married to one of them. I refused to be with Kanaye, though, and left. I lived in the Makai for 6 years on my own. Then Kanaye started coming after me. He caught me twice, and each time I escaped and moved away. I figured that if Kanaye could find me in the Makai, then whoever was after my parents might be after me and could easily find me. I moved to the Ningenkai for more protection. Koenma allowed me to enter the human world as long as I stayed in human form. Ookami could change only if I was in danger. Those were the terms. But Kanaye found me here, so I guess I'm still in danger."

Ryann refused to let her tears fall, but one slipped out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. It fell to the floor with a soft 'clink', becoming a beautiful jem, and rolled until it hit Hiei's feet. He looked down at it, an unreadable expression on his face.

Kuwabara on the floor, bawling. The only decipherable thing coming from his mouth was "That's so sad!" Yusuke was looking sadly at her, his fist clenched at his side. He felt sorry for the girl, though they'd just met. Kurama just frowned and bowed his head.

Koenma cleared his throat to get their attention. Ryann turned herself around to look at him.

"As you can see, she's still in danger. We figured that being in the human world would protect her, but if an amorous wolf demon could find her, someone more powerful could also. Your job will essentially be to watch over her, and help her train."

The boys nodded, except Kuwabara who was still sobbing on the floor. Yusuke grabbed his shirt and walked out of the room, probably to find Botan and get a portal. Kurama followed suit. Hiei paused, and looked at his feet again. The tear gem was still there. He look over at Ryann, who was staring down at the floor, eyes filled with unshed tears. Koenma was back to stamping, yet again. He bent and picked up the tear gem, and left quickly.

"Koenma, may I go or do you have something else to say?" Ryann rose from her spot on the floor, her face void of all emotions. Koenma looked up.

"Once you get back to the human world, get the guys to go to your apartment. You need to hear their stories, too." Ryann nodded and turned to leave. She stopped, though, and scanned the floor for the tear she had shed. She didn't find it. **Strange. I wonder who took it?** With a mental shrug, she left the room and walked down the hallway to Botan's office. **I have to get home to Ookami. He needs to know we'll be having company. And I have school tomorrow also. It's going to be a long day.**

* * *

Alrighty then! I'll start working on the next chapter tomorrow, but it'll be a while before it gets posted. Until then, readers!! Please review? Please?


	6. Chapter 6

Just for a random fact, I ended up reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in about 9 hours, and I enjoyed the book well enough. It's just so sad!! Also, I did my summer work on time and turned it in, and am now free to write until it is time to do the other half of the summer work._ Sigh _School sucks. But enough of that, on to the next chapter!!

Oh, also! I know I change from Kurama to Shuichi a lot but bear with me, I'm trying to only call him Shuichi when Ryann is around until she's told to call him Kurama.

**Disclaimer: **Yu Yu Hakusho isn't mine. What's left, is.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts **; _Actions  
_

* * *

**Well that was a cheerful visit...** thought Ryann as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. **There is no way I'm going to school tomorrow. I'll probably just end up getting in another fight, and that's not good. **She sighed and opened her door, wishing nothing more than to collapse in her bed and fall asleep.

As she entered her apartment, though, she was slammed to the floor by her oversized wolf companion. Her aching body cried with protest, but she wouldn't make her friend worry more than he already has. He got off of her and began nuzzling her face.

**Thank goodness you're okay! I figured those Spirit Detectives would rescue you and you'd be back here in a couple hours, but you've been gone all night! What happened?**

Ryann smiled slightly at Ookami and shifted into a sitting position. "I did get out of there quickly but I was taken back to the Reikai and Koenma made me tell them about my life. They're assigned to guard and train me for a while, now."

**Last time I checked it was my job to guard you** Ooka huffed in indignance.

"Ooka, you know that you can't watch me all of the time. You're hardly allowed to leave the apartment. I'm sure it's nothing against you, they just want to make sure when I'm not here that I'm safe. Believe me, if I had my way they wouldn't be assigned to watch me. I'd rather they didn't, they should be assigned a more important mission." She shook her head and stood, walking down the hall to her bedroom.

"Come on pup, let's go to bed. We'll talk more when we get up." Ookami shimmered and shrank to his puppy size, and dashed after his upset mistress.

**Tomorrow, can we go outside and run around a bit? I feel kinda cramped, **Ooka asked as he crawled under the covers.

Ryann smiled. "Sure, we'll both run around a bit." With a final yawn, she and her one companion drifted into dreams.

* * *

Ryann awoke with a start when a small furry body launched itself onto her chest. **Wake up! There's someone at the door for you. **

She glared at him and slowly rose, the wolf pup on her chest falling to the floor. With a grunt he tried to walk out of the room with what dignity he had left but ended up slipping on the wood floor and ricocheted down the hall. He hit the front door with a light _thump_ and his mistress followed with a smirk.

She opened the door just as her visitor was about to knock again, and saw a hand hovering slightly over her head. "Oh Ryann, I'm sorry!"

She chuckled. "No problem, Shuichi, it's not like you actually hit me." She smiled slightly at the redhead in her doorway.

**Like you could do that, your hand was a good half-foot above her head.**

"Nobody asked you, Ooka!" She nudged the pup with her foot and sent him sliding back down the hall with a yelp. "Sorry, would you like to come in?" She stepped aside and allowed him to walk in.

She walked into the kitchen and started her coffee pot. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks!" came the reply from the living room.

She poured herself a cup and grabbed a box of pocky, then crossed the hall into the living room. Shuichi was sitting on a bright red couch, talking to Ooka. "Ookami, you know you shouldn't be on the couch!"

_**Sigh**_** Fine, whatever.** He got up and walked to a pet bed in the corner.

"So, what can I do for you?" Ryann grabbed a stick of pocky and began happily munching on it.

Shuichi reached into his bag and pulled out her notebook. "You left this at school the other day. Since you weren't at school today, I figured I could bring it to you. I also wanted to see if you were alright."

"Peachy! I actually remembered to buy pocky when I went to the store, so I'm good!" She smiled widely and grabbed another stick of her beloved pocky.

**She's obsessed with that stuff, **Ookami explained to the fox. Shuichi sweatdropped and cleared his throat.

"Also I was wondering, when would be a good time to discuss the arrangements of our mission? I mean, I'm free now but if it's inconvenient, we can do it later."

**Should I get the others? I think I can find them.**

"But I want to go too! Uhh, Shuichi, could you stay here for a while? Ooka and me are going to get the other three and bring them here to talk." She put her cup on the table and her eyes turned a deeper blue.

"I think I'll go, too. It will be safer." Shuichi stood up and walked to the door. He felt a sudden rise in ki from the two others in the apartment, and turned to see Ookami in his larger form and a slightly smaller pure white wolf wagging her tail next to him.

"Ryann? Are you sure it's a good idea for the two of you to go out in wolf form? Arctic wolves aren't exactly popular here."

**It will be alright. Atleast I only have one of my tails out! ** She sniffed the air for a minute. **What are you? All I can tell is you're a canine.**

"I'm a fox demon, but we'll talk about this soon. _Sigh_ Come on, let's go get the others..."

Two happy barks followed and Shuichi almost fell over as the two wolves darted out the door and down the stairs. "Hey, wait a minute!" He quickly ran after them.

* * *

Yusuke and Kuwabara were at the arcade trying to top each other's high scores on various games. They were so caught up in their games, they didn't notice the two large wolves sneaking up behind them with wolfish grins (AN: Pun intended hehehe) on their faces.

**On the count of three then, Ooka?**

**Sure, but I want the ugly one. He'll react better. **He snickered as best a wolf could.

Kurama was watching from the doors and was laughing to himself. **How they can be so happy-go-lucky after all they've been through, I'll never know. But this is highly amusing. It's a good thing it's raining and nobody's out today. **He saw Ryann and Ookami slink forward slightly and began his own countdown under his breath. "Three, two, one..."

"YAH!!!!" The two boys screamed and jumped up, trying to shake the wolves off of their ankles. Yusuke, white wolf gripping his leg, tried to run out of her grasp. She glanced over at Ooka and immediately let go of Yusuke and began rolling on the floor with wolf-laughter.

**I told you this would be fun! **Ookami was now dragging Kuwabara around the floor by his foot, with the idiot practically shrieking. Yusuke began running towards the door, and Ryann jumped up. She took aim and darted forward to tackle him right infront of Shuichi. She wagged her tail and looked up at the redhead, who was now trying very hard not to bust out laughing.

**Come on, Ooka! We gotta go! Let's go to the park, we can clue them in there. **She grabbed Yusuke's shirt collar and began dragging him down the street. Ooka followed suit with Kuwabara and Kurama brought up the rear, giving up on smothering his laughter.

* * *

The two awoke to a pure black wolf and a pure white wolf staring down at them. They both jumped to their feet and began to run away.

"Calm down, you two, they're not going to attack," Kurama told them. He was still lightly laughing. Ookami and Ryann ran off a little ways to wrestle in the grass/mud.

"Are you crazy Kurama?!? Those two monsters already attacked us!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Yeah, Kurama, those two are evil!"

Ryann heard this and trotted over to the two, who shrank away from her, and sat down. She shimmered, much as Ookami does, and shrank to a puppy size. She looked up at Kuwabara with big blue eyes.

Kuwabara seemed to be having an internal battle over whether the wolf pup was evil or not, and decided that she was just too cute. He bent over to pick her up, cooing slightly in his scratchy voice. He immediately recoiled with two deep puncture marks in his hand.

Ryann smiled evilly with blood on her fangs. Kuwabara screamed again and jumped behind Yusuke. "Evil cute thing! EVIL CUTE THING!!!"

"Enough, Ryann. Be nice! Get Ookami over here and we'll explain," Shuichi scolded the white pup . She skipped away to Ookami and pounced on his face, splattering mud everywhere.

**Come on Ooka, we gotta go. We're telling the idiots who we are. **Ooka got up, and Ryann fell off (like Ooka did that morning) into a puddle. A vein in Yusuke's head was pulsing again.

"Okay Kurama, what exactly are they?"

**Kurama?** Ryann asked.

"I'll explain later. Yusuke, the white wolf is Ryann, the girl we rescued yesterday. The black one is her pet, Ookami. We're here to take you back to her apartment to discuss guarding and training her."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at the white wolf who had just eaten a dandelion. "That's Ryann?"

**Yep! That'd be me!**

"Gah! Get out of my head, evil bitch!!"

Ryann looked up at him. She shimmered, resized to her largest form (5 feet at the shoulder), and pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. She bared her teeth right in his face. **What did you just call me?**

"Nothing! I said nothing!!" he squeaked.

**That's what I thought. **She resized again and started stalking a nearby butterfly. Kuwabara scratched his head and Yusuke got up, brushing the mud off as best he could.

"What the hell? Is she insane?"

"Maybe," Kurama conceded. "But she's our charge and we have to protect her. Of course, we have to train her as well, so I'd be careful. There's nothing like battling against psychos."

Yusuke stared at him blankly. "Kurama, everyone I've ever fought was psycho."

"Good point."

Ooka nudged Kurama's knee. **Can we go now, fox? I like fresh air well enough but I don't like my mistress out in the open for too long.**

Kurama shook his head. "We need to find Hiei first. There is no telling where he..."

He was cut off by Ryann yipping at the base of a nearby tree. Up on the highest branch shielded from the rain sat the fire demon in question. He was, as he says, 'hibernating.' **I'll get him! **Ryann told them.

She began digging her claws in the trunk and biting branches to inch her way up the tree. She passed him on her way up, and stopped at a smaller branch above him.

**Don't do it, Ryann. You'll regret it!** Ookami and Kurama tried to tell her. She ignored them and shimmied her way onto the branch above Hiei. After taking aim quickly, she hopped off of the branch.

The momentum of the jump was enough force to break the branch Hiei was sleeping on, and the two demons plummeted to the ground. Hiei, who had woken with a start, flipped mid-air and landed on his feet. Ryann wasn't so lucky and fell straight to the ground. **Ouch...** Hiei glared down at the white wolf pup. His cloak-thing now had a large mud stain on it.

"What did I do to deserve this?" He asked blankly. Ryann just hopped up and walked off to chase another butterfly. Hiei was trying very hard to not chop this unknown wolf into bite-sized pieces.

"Calm down, Hiei, that's Ryann Yukiko. She was just being playful." For the second time today, Kurama was trying not to laugh as his friend was attacked by Ryann.

"Shut it, fox, before I remove it." He rotated his neck with a satisfying pop and grabbed Ryann by her scruff. He brought her face to face and stared dead into her eyes. "If you ever... do that again, I will not hesitate to use you for target practice."

Ryann widened her eyes slightly and yipped. She reached out and licked Hiei's nose. He froze, unsure of what to do to this annoying demon, and just set her back down. The detective, fox, and idiot were all laughing at him, and he wanted nothing more than to chop their heads off. **She is most definitely on my list now. **His entire body began to smoke.

"Okay, I think it's time to go now. Ryann and Ookami have had their fun, and we need to talk about our mission. Ryann, come on, let's go!" Kurama commanded his fellow team members.

Ryann happily skipped to the front of the group and marched towards her apartment. The rest followed, with Hiei stalking after them, his mind occupied by the very confusing she-wolf.

* * *

Alright readers, there's the chapter that took so long to post! Again I'm really sorry about the wait, I've just been really busy. Please review! 


	7. Chapter 7

Since I'm such a wonderful person, and I feel bad that I couldn't post my other chapter immediately (my cable's out), I'm doing another chapter! Rejoice!! Yeah, whatever. You'll know when my cable's back, as the two chapters will be posted. Makes sense, ja?

**Disclaimer:** Ryann, Ookami, OCs and the plot are mine. Pretty much everything else belongs to the wonderful creator of Yu Yu Hakusho (who's name I can't look up as the cable is still out.)

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

**I'll race you, Ookami! First one in the apartment wins!** The two wolves stood side-by-side and darted off towards their building. The four boys followed at a leisurely pace, watching them in amusement.

At the stairs Ryann was in the lead, but she slipped on a wet step and tumbled down a flight. Her front paw caught Ookami's on the way down, and when the boys caught up with them they were met with a lump of black and white fur and mud at the base of the stairs. **Okay, not one of my best ideas...**

She got up, pushing Ooka down again, and walked carefully up the stairs to her level. Her apartment door was wide open.

**Shuichi!! You forgot to close my door!** She yelled to him.

"Shuichi? She still calls you that obnoxious name?" Hiei asked.

"She hasn't been told otherwise yet. That would be one of the purposes of this meeting, as she's told me. We will be telling her about ourselves."

"Oh, hell no." Hiei immediately turned around and began to walk back down the stairs. **There is no way am I telling that psychotic girl about my past! She has no right to know!** Kurama grabbed his collar and pulled him back up the stairs.

**These were Koenma's orders. **

**Then I'd rather face Spirit Jail. **He tried fruitlessly to escape the fox's grasp. Kurama dragged him into the apartment and put him down on a black loveseat across from the couch.

"Wait! Don't sit down, you four are all wet and muddy! GAH!" She rushed in (now in her humanoid form) to try and stop them from getting her couches dirty, but came to late. As opposed to her appearance the night before, she now had four tails instead of one. She threw towels at them and left in a huff.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama occupied the entirety of the couch, leaving the only empty space next to Hiei. **Damn it all. Damn it all to hell.**

"That's no way to speak in a hostess' house!" Ryann walked back in with a tray balanced on her head. Ookami walked past her in an attempt to knock her over and jumped in the spot next to Hiei.

"Ooka! Not on the couch! Oy, now everything's all dirty..._ sigh_."

The wolf demon sighed and jumped down, shaking himself off and settling on his pet bed. Ryann placed the tray on the table and promptly sat down on the floor so not to get anything more dirty. Everyone in the room made a rough circle.

"Tea, anyone? And I have delicious pocky!!" She grabbed a couple sticks and started munching on the heavenly treat. Her four tails started wagging in joy, spraying drops of water on everybody. The others sweatdropped at the ecstatic look on her face.

"So, what's on the agenda?" She asked with a stick of pocky hanging out of her mouth.

"Maybe we should tell you about ourselves first?" Kurama suggested. Hiei turned and glare vehemently at the fox. Kurama shrank back a bit but his expression didn't waver.

"Sure! Who wants to go first?"

* * *

"Okay... I think I got it... Yusuke, you were a human who died in a car accident, came back thanks to Koenma, fought a whole bunch of psycho demons, died two more times, and are the half-demon descendant of Raizen, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Yusuke answered.

"Uh huh. And you, 'Kurama', are really the spirit of the fox demon Youko Kurama reincarnated into a human body. You have a human mother, stepbrother and stepfather, and go to my high school. Ja?"

"That's correct," Kurama confirmed.

"And you, Kuwabara, are a stupid ningen with an unhealthy obsession with an ice apparition named Yukina, who probably doesn't like you back."

"Yeah, that's... Hey, wait a minute!!"

Ryann began snickering at the idiot. **Of course he'd agree, it's true hehehe.** He tried to glare at her and look menacing, but only ended up looking stupider. Her laughter drowned out anything he was trying to say to redeem himself, and the other three were watching Ryann roll on the floor in laughter.

With a couple last chuckles, Ryann sat back up and cleared her throat. "Alright, I think I've got it. What about him, though?" She pointed over at Hiei, who was silently staring at her ceiling, wishing he could be back in his tree.

Kurama opened his mouth to tell her about the fire demon, but was silenced by a venomous glare. "Heh, I think maybe that should be left unsaid for the time."

Ryann stared at Hiei for a minute. "Fair enough." She turned around and cleared the coffee table. She walked into the kitchen to clean the dishes. "So, what should we do about the whole guarding thing?" she called from the sink.

"Well I can watch her at school. We have the same classes thanks to Onagomi-sensei. And we can all get together on weekends. But who will watch her at home?" Kurama asked the others.

**Hello? That would be my job!** Ookami raised his head and glared at the fox.

"I mean no offense, Ookami, but Koenma wants her to be protected by one of us at all times. Your help is much appreciated, though."

**But I can protect her just fine on my own!** He was now on his feet, staring angrily at Kurama.

"You sure did a fantastic job at that the first time around," Hiei commented from behind the wolf. He turned and snarled at the fire demon.

**I did as best I could. I wasn't allowed out of the house at risk of her location being identified.**

"Well obviously you didn't do to well. When you released your ki two days ago not only did Kanaye find you apartment, but I did also. I'd say that your disregard of her safety in that moment was the reason the amorous wolf demon found her." Hiei glared right back at Ookami, watching his resolve crumble.

**I... did it? It was my fault? **He sat down hard and stared off into space.

"I don't appreciate you being rude to my friend in my apartment. Ookami is not responsible for me being found, Kanaye is. If he had not been stalking me, then I'd still be hidden. Now, if you don't mind, I think it best to drop this part of the discussion." Ryann was beyond pissed at Hiei. **How DARE he blame Ookami for me being kidnapped! **She clicked her tongue and Ookami walked slowly out of the room with his head down.

"If you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of in my bedroom. Feel free to continue the discussion in my absence." Her cold tone was very unnerving. She stalked out of the room, ears back and the hair on her tails bristled. A low whine was coming from under the covers on her bed. She closed the door and turned the lock.

"Ooka? Come out, hun, it's all right."

**No, it isn't. You told me not to resize, but I did it anyway. For food! I compromised your safety for food...**

"You didn't do anything wrong. Everywhere we go, Kanaye finds us. No matter how discreet we are, we're always found. That can't possibly be your fault! You know as well as I do that Kanaye finding us is nobody's fault." Her firm tone only helped reassure him slightly, but he came out from under the covers anyway.

He laid on the bed near his mistress and looked downcast. Ryann gently began stroking his head, still very angry towards Hiei for upsetting him. **He had no right to do that to Ooka. Damn him...**

**I still feel responsible...**

"Don't. You aren't and nobody thinks you are. Hiei's just being a bastard, ignore him. Come on, let's go find out what arrangements they made." The two left the bedroom in slightly better moods.

* * *

The four boys watched as Ryann stalked out of the room in anger. Kurama turned to look at the indifferent fire demon that caused Ryann's anger.

"Hiei! That was uncalled for!" Kurama scolded.

"Hn. Just telling the wolf how he screwed up."

"There was no need for that, and you know it very well. That was just rude."

"Not my problem."

Kurama sighed in frustration and turned towards Yusuke and Kuwabara. "So, what should we do about protection in her house? I can't be here all night, seeing as how I have school."

"Yeah, we do too. I'd rather not go, but Keiko's getting very pushy about passing the year. And Kuwabara's actually beginning to care about his grades."

They all turned to look at the fire demon. He wasn't listening but he knew what they were thinking. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to be babysitting those annoying wolves overnight. I'll end up slaughtering them."

"Who else is there? We have school," Kurama told him, smirking. **Serves him right for upsetting them.**

"Yeah, and it's not like you have anything better to do."

"Quiet, Detective. You know nothing of that."

"Yes I do. You have no job, you don't go to school, and I know better than to think you have any friends here. Every time we see you, you're up in some tree asleep. What could you possibly do in your spare time besides train?"

"Hn." Yusuke smirked when Hiei didn't retort. **That's what I thought.**

**Watch your thoughts, Detective. I can rid you of your ability to make them.**

Kurama interrupted the two's little argument. "Alright, then. It's decided. Hiei will stay here at night to watch over her, while I do so at school. On the weekends we'll go to Genkai's temple and train. Agreed?"

"Sure."

"Yeah, whatever."

"I object." They ignored Hiei.

"Okay then. I have to get home soon, Mother is probably worried. I suggest you two do the same. Goodnight Hiei. Don't kill anybody." Kurama laughed slightly at his own joke and at Hiei's expression. He got up and walked out the door, Yusuke and Kuwabara following.

Hiei sat alone in the living room. **This is going to be a long night. **He subconsciously fingered the tear gem in his pocket. He still wasn't sure what to think of the girl. She was an enigma that he didn't quite understand his interest in.

**Why do I feel the need to understand this girl? There's nothing special about her. And yet...**

"Where did the others go?" He was brought out of his thoughts by the demoness on his mind. Her face was blank and her head was tilted slightly. Her ears were still back but her tail fur was back down. He stared at her for a second, then blinked.

"They left."

"Oh. So why are you still here?" She asked in a rude tone. She was still very pissed at him.

"They voted me to be your guard at night." Ryann made a noise of protest. "Believe me, I'm as overjoyed about this as you are."

"Whatever." She walked out of the room again and slammed her bedroom door.

Hiei frowned. **Joy. Tonight should be fun, ** he thought sarcastically.

* * *

Yay! I'm actually quite pleased at how well the story is coming together. I'm sorry again about the wait time in posting this and the preceding chapter. Sometimes cable really sucks. It's been off for the entire day! Gah! Anyway, please review, and feel free to message or email me if you have questions, comments, or recommendations. Just saying... 


	8. Chapter 8

Well, it seems that my cable doesn't want to come on any time soon, soooo I'm writing another chapter! It's not like I have anything better to do...

**Disclaimer:** If anything is familiar to you readers, chances are it's from Yu Yu Hakusho and I don't own it.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

After pouting in her room for about an hour, Ryann finally came back out. She completely ignored the fire demon in her living room and went straight to the kitchen. Ookami followed slowly, throwing a quick glance at Hiei.

Ooka decided to try and break the silence. **So... what's for dinner?**

Ryann turned to him. **Well, I haven't been able to go to the store recently so I guess we're having ramen.**

**Why aren't you talking?**

She shrugged. **Just don't feel like it. **

**Riiight...** He turned and left the kitchen en route to the living room. He jumped up on the red couch and looked across the room. Hiei was still on the red loveseat and was staring off into space.

**Have you done anything since the others left?**

Hiei blinked and turned to the wolf on the couch. He scowled. **That's none of your business.**

**Well excuse me. Just a question.**

The two sat in silence for a couple minutes. The microwave in the kitchen could be heard faintly and Ookami counted it being turned on three times. He looked at Hiei again.

**She's making you dinner, too. **

Again Hiei drew his attention to Ookami. She was making him dinner? Even after he was rude to both of them? **Why?**

Ookami shrugged slightly. **Don't ask me, but she'll bring it in soon and I bet there will be three bowls of ramen. **

Sure enough, a little while later Ryann waltzed in and placed a tray with three bowls down on the coffee table. She looked over at Ookami and sighed. "Ooka, how many times have I told you not to get on the couch?" He was about to hop down but she just put one of the bowls infront of him and sat down. She grabbed another bowl and held it out to Hiei.

"Here."

Hiei looked at her oddly for a second and grabbed the bowl. She didn't look angry anymore but was acting reserved. She ate slowly and didn't look up. When she finished she grabbed her and Ookami's bowls and went back into the kitchen. Hiei had still yet to eat his dinner.

She returned to the living room with some cleaning supplies. She smiled slightly towards Hiei.

"It's not poisonous, you know. Go ahead." She turned towards the couch Ookami was sitting on and began scrubbing at the mud stains he wasn't laying on.

While he ate, Hiei watched Ryann clean the couch and thought quietly to himself. **This makes no sense. First I piss her off, and now she's making me food and smiling? What is with this girl?**

When he finished his ramen he put the bowl on the table silently and stared at it. After a couple seconds he got up and carried it into the kitchen.

"Just put it in sink! I'll take care of it later!" he heard her yell from the other room. He shook his head and walked back down hall.

Upon returning he saw Ryann scrubbing furiously at the stain Hiei had been sitting on. "Oh! Sorry, I was trying to finish before you got back." She eyed his clothes and the dried mud caked on them. "If you'd like, you can take a shower and I can wash those for you."

Again Hiei stared at her silently in wonder. She blinked when she got no response. "What?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and conceded to her offer. "Hn. Nothing. Where's your bathroom?"

She smiled at him. "The only one that has a shower is in my room. Just hang up what you want washed outside the door. Towels are in the cabinet."

Her eyes followed him out of the room, and she resumed her cleaning when she heard her door close. **What's with you?**

She looked up at Ooka, still smiling slightly. "What?"

He looked at her pointedly. **First you're pissy towards him, and then you're making him food, doing his laundry, and being all smiley. Do you have a mood switch somewhere?**

She chuckled. "No, there's just no point in being in a bad mood if he's going to be here for a while. And I'm a good hostess. Now get your furry ass of the couch, I have to clean it."

He sighed and hopped down. As he walked over to his pet bed he saw Ryann leave the room. **Hey I thought you were going to clean the couch!**

"Well, I have to wash his clothes real quick, don't I?" she asked over her shoulder.

**You could've let me stay on the couch a little while longer then.** he grumbled.

He sat on the floor pouting slightly and watched his mistress pass the doorway again on her way downstairs to the laundry room. He fell over when he realized she was whistling. **Well that's new. I wonder what caused it...**

* * *

Ryann shook her head to get the water out of her eyes and continued her way up the stairs to her apartment. She had only been gone maybe 20 minutes, but the laundry was all clean and dried. **Good thing I brought the extra quarters. I was able to use one machine for each piece of clothing and they were done very quickly! **Hiei's clothes were in a laundry basket under her arm and were covered with a plastic sheet.

After finally reaching her apartment, and without slipping might I add, Ryann pushed the wet hair out of her face and opened her door. She quickly walked back into her bedroom and put his clothes back on the hangers. Hiei was still in the shower.

She playfully glared at the door. "Great, use all of my hot water."

**Don't worry, I'm sure he'll leave you some.**

"Gah!" She jumped and tossed the laundry basket. It fell upside-down on Ookami in his puppy form, so he was completely under it. "Ooka, don't do that! Jeesh, I about had a heart attack!"

He looked annoyed under the basket but was watching her very closely. **Something is up with you... and I'm going to find out what.**

Ryann grabbed the basket and walked out of the room with a slight blush on her face. "Yeah, whatever Ooka." She resumed her work in the living room, scrubbing furiously at the mud on her couch.

Another ten minutes of washing the two couches and the floor left Ryann's arm slightly sore and the room smelling like cleaning solution. With a tired smile she took her supplies and replaced them under the kitchen sink. She noticed the shower in her room was no longer running and returned to the living room to think.

**Hmm, where should he sleep? Surely not in my room. On one of the couches in here I suppose... I just hope they are comfortable enough. Even if he can be an ass, there's no reason for him to be uncomfortable.**

Hiei came into the room fully dressed to find an interesting sight. Ryann was sitting upside down on the black love seat with her long white hair slowly soaking the carpet. **Why is her hair wet?** he thought to himself.

"Oh good! You're done. If you'll excuse me for a bit I have to shower also. Feel free to make yourself at home and such!" She flipped off of the couch and darted down the hallway, her wet hair smacking Hiei in the face. "Sorry!" she yelled from behind her door.

Hiei rubbed the water from his face and fell onto the couch with a sigh. **Well, I have nothing better to do, so why not meditate.** He sat up and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees. No matter how hard he tried, his mind would not turn off. He was constantly thinking, mostly asking about Ryann. Now he was getting pissed. **Why the hell can't I get her out of my head!?!?! **

"Uhh, Hiei? Are you alright? You're kinda burning holes in my couch." He snapped his eyes open to see Ryann infront of him, back in her human form and her hair still dripping slightly. **She's out of the shower already? How long have I been trying to meditate? **A quick look at the clock showed it was 8:00. **Damn. Wait, what did she say about the couch? **He look down where his hands were and saw a hole on each side of his knees.

"Sorry, didn't know I needed fire-proof cushions! If you start getting pissed off again, maybe you should go outside, the water will cool you down." She wasn't mad; she was teasing him! Her smirk clearly told him so.

He huffed. "How do you know I was pissed?"

She laughed slightly. "Well, first off, fire demons flare up when they get angry. Second, your facial expression was all evil. And third, you were yelling something really loudly in your head, and I heard it. I wouldn't be surprised if some humans heard you." She sat down on the loveseat across from him. Something was crunching and Hiei realized that she brought a bowl of popcorn in and set it on the table.

"So..."

"So what, onna?"

She frowned at him. **Well that was nice. **"Do you want to talk about whatever was making you upset?" She blinked at a sudden rise in ki and heard her front door slam open. Her couch was now unoccupied but there was a new set of burned holes next to the previous ones.

"I'll take that as a 'No' then..._sigh_ Oh well. Hey Ooka, come find the remote for me!" she yelled. Ookami, who was in the bedroom laying down, just growled and rolled over. **You're in there. Find it yourself.**

She groaned. **But Ooka! I can't find it!!!**

**I'm going to take a wild guess and say check under whatever food or drink you have on the table.**

Ryann sighed. "Yeah, like I'd actually be stupid enough to... never mind."

As Ookami had said, the remote was right underneath the bowl of popcorn. She grinned embarrassedly at nobody and laid back on the couch. Right as she turned on the television, Ookami came in and laid on the floor next to his mistress.

"Hey Ookami, how did you know where it was?"

He lifted his head and stared at her. **Your always complaining about not having coasters, so you end up putting stuff on whatever else is on the table.**

"Oh..."

Though the TV was on the news and her eyes were following the stories, Ryann's mind was elsewhere. **Hiei's been outside for a long time. What pissed him off that badly? Maybe... he left?**

She hopped off of the couch and walked to the front door. "I'll be right back, Ookami!"

He just nodded and hopped up on the loveseat. He had a large smile on his furry face. _**Chuckles**_** So, that's it, then. That explains quite a bit.** He shifted around a second and fell asleep to the sounds from the TV and raindrops against the windows.

* * *

Well, I'll admit I didn't finish this one when I planned to. It was supposed to be posted at the same time as the other two, but I figure it's close enough! Next chapter will be up soon. Hasta luego, readers!! 


	9. Chapter 9

I'm soooooo sorry about the wait time on this chapter! My laptop decided to stop working like a week or two ago, and so I haven't been on since then. I'm actually on my brother's girlfriend's laptop, which I shouldn't be on but she's not here soooo… The good news is that since I haven't been on to type for a while, I've been writing and forming scenes in my head for future chapters! I've even been formulating another story, a Bleach fic. But that'll be addressed later. On to the story!

**Disclaimer:** You know what I'm saying here. Must I repeat myself?

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions  
_

* * *

The rain continued to pour as Ryann stood outside on her balcony. Her eyes scanned the surrounding darkness for any sign of Hiei, but she could barely see the trees next to her building.With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and turned her face up towards the sky. **There's no way I'll find him at this time of night. **

She stayed like that for a while, just letting the rain hit her face. All of a sudden, nothing else fell on her. But the rain was still falling; she could hear it hitting the concrete. She curiously opened her eyes and was met with a crimson pair staring down at her.

"HOLY HELL!" She found herself on her back, soaked by the rain on the balcony floor. She glanced back up at the eyes and recognized the energy coming from them. "Damn it, Hiei, was that really necessary?!?"

"If you were more aware of your surrounding you would've sensed me." She could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"You're an evil bastard, do you know that?"

"You're still on the ground, did you know that?" She stood in a huff and glared at him. Or in his general direction, at least.

"Where are you, anyway? I know you're not taller than me so you've got to be on something to be above me." She heard him growl at her and chuckled. "How tall are you, anyway? I'd say your hair adds two or three inches but with that you're about my height."

"Quiet, onna. I'm on the roof." She stared ahead blankly. **The roof? How the hell did he get up there?**

**I jumped. **

_**sigh**_** Must you invade my mind at all times? It's kind of a private place, you know. **Hearing no answer, she looked up to where she saw his eyes before. "Wait, how the hell did you jump that high?"

She saw his eyes again and assumed he had them closed before. "I'm a demon. Demons can jump higher than normal beings."

"Cool. I wish I could do that," she sighed wistfully.

She saw him roll his eyes at her. "You're a demon so you can do that. Idiot." He closed his eyes again.

"Oh yeah!" She smiled to herself and hopped up onto the roof shingles. She nearly slipped but scrambled up to where she felt Hiei's energy.

Hiei opened his eyes as he sensed her coming closer and saw her bright blue eyes right infront of him. "Too close onna."

She blinked. "Whoops, sorry!" Her eyes moved a short ways away and closed. He too closed his eyes and began trying to meditate again. She sat quietly, listening to the rain and their breathing. Some questions were nagging her and she decided to just ask them.

"So, what are you doing on the roof?" He opened one eye and looked over at her. She was staring at him.

"Meditating." **Or trying to. **He still hadn't been able to clear his head, despite the girl being inside and him being out.

"Oh. Why are you meditating all the way up here?"

"Couldn't concentrate inside." He was getting annoyed quickly.

"Why not?" His eyes snapped open and he glared at her.

"Because you won't leave me alone!!"

Silence met him after his outburst. He could see her eyes widened, then close.

"Sorry…. I'll just go back inside then," she said quietly. He heard her scramble down the roof and jump back onto the balcony.

Hiei sighed when he heard the door close and laid back against the roof. He'd heard Ryann worrying about him to herself after he left and now felt kinda bad for yelling at her. **Since when do I care about hurting someone's feelings? What the hell is wrong with me?!? **He questioned the darkness over and over, but received no reply.

Deciding to go back inside, he jumped back down onto the balcony. He quietly opened to door and closed it behind him. A puddle of water was forming below him so he raised his body temperature to get rid of the rain on him and his clothes. He walked further into the apartment and saw Ryann walk into the living room with her head down, sheets in her arms.

Ryann had felt his energy when he came in but refused to get in his way again. She grabbed some sheets from her room and went into the living room to make a bed on the couch. She saw Hiei on her way but kept her head down and her eyes averted.

Ookami watched the two from his place on the floor. He watched Ryann stand and retreat back into her room but didn't follow. His eyes followed Hiei, who sat down on the couch and sighed softly.

"So what did you do to her?"

Hiei's head jerked over to the wolf sitting on the floor. Ookami was staring right at him with his head slightly cocked to the side. He wondered who could've been talking to him.

"What?"

"I asked what you did to my mistress. She's clearly upset about something." This time Hiei watched his mouth move as he talked. **I didn't know he could actually talk.**

**There are a lot of things you fail to realize, fire demon.**

Hiei glared slightly at the wolf. "And what does that mean?"

"_sigh_ If you can't see what I see now, then you'll have to find out on your own. But back to my question; what did you do to her?"

"Hn. Nothing."

Ookami jumped onto the loveseat and laid down. "Right… and yet she leaves the house with a smile and returns with a sad look in her eyes. I suppose you won't admit to knowing why this is, will you?"

Hiei remained silent and Ookami got his answer. He sat in silence for a while, then jumped down and started to leave the room. He stopped and turned his head towards Hiei. **You know, she must like something about you. She's not as affected by other people as she is with you. Usually she's either happy or pissed, but you've made her upset in under half an hour. Congratulations.**

Ookami walked down the hall and nosed his way into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Hiei laid down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. In her room, Ryann was doing the same thing. With a final sigh, both rolled over and fell asleep.

* * *

A very loud, obnoxious beeping woke Ryann and Ookami up at 5 am the next morning. The two just rolled over and fell back asleep. After a few minutes of the constant beeping, Hiei walked into the room with a very irked look on his face. 

"What is that infernal beeping?" he asked the girl. She wasn't responding and he realized she was still asleep, as was Ookami. He took a closer look and saw that she was cuddling the wolf, who was in his pup form. The two looked rather cute, not that Hiei would ever admit it.

Seeing that neither were being disturbed by the noise, Hiei found the damned contraption making the noise and crushed it in his hands. The cessation of beeping woke Ryann up instantly. She shot up and stared wide-eyed around her room.

"What the hell?" She saw Hiei holding pieces of her clock and fell back down with a sigh. "What time is it, anyway?"

Hiei grunted and left the room, dropping the clock parts to the floor. Ryann looked to her half-awake yawning companion. "Well, he's in a cheerful mood, isn't he?" Ookami stretched and rolled over.

Ryann sighed and got up to get ready for school. **Atleast I won't have to face Hiei for most of today. I don't want to bother the prick anymore.**

Ookami heard her and smirked. When Ryann allowed herself to get upset, she would resolve to be angry towards the person that made her feel that way. If Hiei took a wrong step, he would never hear the end of the scary teenage female.

* * *

"Good morning Ryann! How was your night?" Kurama was all chipper this morning and was not helping her bad mood. She glared up at the redhead and continued walking into the school yard. 

Kurama sweatdropped. "I take it Hiei did something wrong?"

Ryann spun around and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down to her eye level. "Why the hell did you leave that evil bastard at my house?" Her deadly calm tone made a chill go down his spine.

"Well, ehm, there was really no other arrangement we could make," he answered in a slightly higher voice.

Normally he wouldn't be intimidated by even the strongest opponent, but as the saying goes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And as he's experienced from Hiei, the shorter ones can be ruthless.

"I want him out of my house. As. Soon. As. Possible. Got it?" She released him and continued walking.

"But Ryann! There's nothing else we can do!" She yelled out in frustration and the surrounding people slinked back from her.

"Shuichi, I don't give a damn, get him out of my house!" Without another word she stomped straight into the school and refused to talk to Kurama for a few hours.

* * *

"Uh, Shuichi? Can I talk to you for a second?" It was lunch and Ryann had to elbow her way through the fangirl crowd around his desk.

Kurama saw the remorseful look on her face and excused himself as politely as possible from the bony grasps of the females.

The two walked into the hall and Ryann turned to look up at him. "I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I'm just so… so… ugh there isn't even a word for it!"

Kurama chuckled lightly and smiled at her.

"So, what did Hiei do?"

She remained silent and looked at her feet. **He**** didn't do anything. Not really. It was me, I guess. **Finally, everything she'd been thinking and feeling clicked into place and her eyes widened. She rolled her head back as groaned. "Oh fuck…"

Kurama looked at her oddly. Sure, he'd been listening to her but he didn't understand what was going on.

"Ryann, are you alright?"

She blushed when she realized he was still there. "Oh, uhm, I'm fine. Just … terribly, terribly screwed." Again she left him standing alone, watching her leave with more questions than answers. A sudden idea hit him.

"I wonder…" he said to himself with a smirk.

* * *

The rest of the school day Ryann had sat at her desk either banging her head quietly or cursing to herself. **What did I do to deserve this?** she asked whatever higher being there may be.

After being tortured with her thoughts for hours, the last bell rang and she groaned.

Kurama, who had been glancing at her from time to time and smiling to himself, got up and waltzed over to her. "Ready to go, Ryann?"

She looked up at him and frowned. "Not particularly, but I have no choice do I?" She gathered her things and began to slowly walk out of the room and down the hall.

After a minute or two in silence, she looked back to see him following at a leisurely pace. He was smirking at her so she narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

He shook his head and snickered. She stopped and looked closer at him, seeing that his eyes weren't emerald anymore. They were partially gold. **What the… Oh, right, his inner fox. The pervert. Wait, why would he be out?**

"Kurama, why is the fox possessing your thoughts?" His smirk widened into a grin and he continued walking.

She glared at him. **Alright, now I'm annoyed. **She ran to catch up. They were now walking through the park towards her apartment. Finally fed up with the looks she was getting she stopped Kurama and nearly growled at him.

"Okay, I've had it. What the fuck are you thinking about that's making you stare at me so … freakishly?" He nodded behind her and she turned to see a large tree. She glanced up and saw Hiei in it. He wasn't asleep but he wasn't exactly paying attention to anything either.

Ryann turned back to Kurama and stared, confused. "I don't get it."

Kurama piqued one of his eyebrows and his eyes moved to Hiei, then returned to her. After a moment she looked at him in realization and a horrified look passed her face.

"Oh shit." She muttered and ran as quickly as possible towards her apartment. **How did he find out?!?  
**

He laughed to himself and looked up into the tree. Hiei was staring down at him with a blank expression.

"She should be home in a minute or so. You might want to get back there, just to be safe." Kurama then left, walking towards his own house. Hiei didn't miss Yoko's eyes showing through Kurama's and wondered why. **Usually he only comes out to irk people or to seduce women… Oh.** He quickly started jumping from tree to tree en route to Ryann's apartment.

**I swear if that fox did anything I will skin him alive.**

* * *

Again might I say that I am soooooooo very sorry for the delay? I haven't even gotten the chance to do the rest of my summer work, which is due the 16th. Then it's my birthday!!! (The 19th) Finally! Uhhh, the next chapter will be out soon! Hopefully! 

Uhhh, do any of you think I'm rushing the story, or taking it to slow? Something about it seems… off. Please let me know what you think.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey folks! Next chapter here!! Nothing really to report, except my birthday's tomorrow. Sweet Sixteen!! And I did my summer work and turned it in on time!! Yay! But let's continue with the story, shall we?

**Disclaimer:** Guess what!?!... I don't own anything YYH. The stuff that wasn't in any manga or anime is mine.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts**; _Actions_

* * *

Hiei, being much faster than Ryann, arrived at the apartment before her and sat on the couch to wait. **Yoko better not have done anything... I couldn't live with that.**

On the way there Hiei had convinced himself that he was feeling this way because he didn't want to live with someone who'd be fawning all over his friend. This had to be the reason he was so anxious to find out what Yoko had done to Ryann, as he reasoned to himself.

When Ryann burst through the door and interrupted Hiei's thoughts he sprang from the couch and confronted her in the hallway. She stopped in her tracks and looked as though she was caught doing something wrong.

"What did the fox do?"

"...eep!" She stared wide-eyed at him and tried to run around him. **No, no, no, damn it!!!Not him! Must get to the sanctuary of my room! **Her efforts were thwarted (hehe, funny word) as he grabbed her arms and held her in place.

"Just tell me what he did, onna? Why are you acting so weird?" **What did that mean?** (AN: referring to what she was thinking.) He looked into her eyes and saw them change to an icy light blue. Suddenly his hands went numb and Ryann had darted around him and ran straight to her room, locking the door behind her.

He glanced down and saw she had frozen his hands. This was easily fixed, being a fire demon and all. The numbness went away and Hiei sighed to himself. **Why would she be acting so... afraid of me?** Not that he cared, of course. It just made him wonder, seeing as how he was assigned there to protect her.

He walked to her door and prepared to knock on it. His hand seemed frozen again. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. So instead, he sat on the floor against the wall and closed his eyes. His Jagan eye began glowing under the bandanna and his mind flooded with a conversation going on behind the closed door.

* * *

Inside Ryann's room, Ookami was trying his best not to laugh as he heard his mistress pacing across the floor, muttering curses to herself. **So it's finally happened.**

She stopped and glared at him. **What are you muttering about?**

**I could ask you the same thing.** To his amusement her cheeks flushed lightly and she quickly turned around to hide it.

Once she had composed herself she turned back around and sat on the end of her bed. **I have no idea what you're talking about.**

**Sure you do. Elsewise you wouldn't be practically having a panic attack. And you wouldn't have locked yourself in here with him out there. **He raised a furry eyebrow at her and cocked his head. She glared at him.

**Shut your face.** With a sigh she let herself fall back and stared up at the ceiling. It and the wall behind her bed had been painted a deep red for accent. Now, though, she wished she hadn't done that because it reminded her of was Hiei's crimson eyes. **Ugh, I am so screwed.**

Ookami's eyes softened at his mistress' distress. **It's not the end of the world, you know. So what if you have a little crush on Hiei? Don't see how, though, he's a prick.**

Despite her bad mood, Ryann snorted and began to laugh. **Thanks, Ooka. **She calmed down and was silent for a moment. **But how am I supposed to live with him? He pisses me off and yet I like him, that is not a good combination, you know.**

She groaned to herself at her dilemma and stood up, stretching her back until she heard a satisfying _crack. _**Maybe it'll help if I go drown myself in the shower. Keep an eye on things, alright?**

**Aye aye, Captain! **He stood at attention and Ryann just rolled her eyes. She locked herself in the bathroom and Ookami waited until he heard the water running. With a sly smile he got up and trotted to the door. **Time to stir it up a bit.**

* * *

Hiei had been sitting outside of the bedroom and was using his Jagan eye to listen in on the conversation. He was aware that Ookami knew he was listening but Ryann seemed oblivious. After hearing what he had just heard, he just sat there in deep thought. He didn't even notice Ooka inching out of the doorway. 

"So, what do you think?"

His head snapped up to Ookami in his full grown wolf form staring at him. He scowled.

"What do I think about what, wolf?"

Ookami snorted. "You've been sitting there for 5 minutes, and you didn't notice me resize right infront of you. I'd say something was distracting you," he commented, his tone taunting.

"Hn."

Ookami sweatdropped. "Quite a talker there, aren't you?"

Hiei glared at him and stood up. He walked into the living room and fell into the couch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ookami jump onto the loveseat. He was staring again.

"What, wolf?"

"You heard us talking, correct?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. Ookami sighed. **Like he's going to admit it.** "Alright, assuming that's right, you heard that she likes you. So what are you going to do about it?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Ookami tilted his head. "Why not? She likes you, and you seem to be attracted to her..."

Hiei sat up and glared vehemently at him. "And where the hell did you get that idea?"

"I recall you yelling to yourself something along the lines of 'Why can't I get her out of my head.' Who else would that 'her' be?" He paused for a moment. "And you have something of hers that you haven't given back yet."

"What are you talking about?" he questioned rudely.

Ookami smirked, as well as a wolf can, and said "Check your pockets."

Hiei scoffed and stood, sticking his hands in his pockets. He froze when he felt a small, smoothe ball in his pocket. He withdrew his hand and looked at it in his palm. It was the tear gem Ryann had shed at Koenma's office. **How did he...?**

"Why did you take it?"

He was brought out of his thoughts and opened his mouth to respond. Nothing came out. Nothing came to mind.He closed his mouth and glanced back down at the gem. **Why ****did**** I take it? **He thought back to that moment. **I was drawn to it. There was something about it that made it seem... special. It's like her. There's just something different...**

Hiei continued to consider his actions and sat back down on the couch. Ookami was still siting on the loveseat, and was listening carefully to what Hiei was thinking. The fire demon had been so caught up in his thoughts since he arrived at this apartment that he hadn't put up a mental block at all.

Time passed and neither had moved from their places, both lost in Hiei's thoughts. Ookami had come to find out what he wanted to know in the first place. **So Hiei doesn't like my mistress. That's disappointing. I hope Ryann's feelings aren't that strong, **he thought sadly to himself. **Her first love would be her first heartbreak. That would be awful.**

Though Ookami was correct in thinking that Hiei doesn't like Ryann, he missed something. Something very important.

Hiei clenched his fist, the tear gem still inside. He wanted to understand. He wanted to understand Ryann, and he wanted to understand why she felt different from everyone else he'd met. Inside his hand, the blue-white gem began began to glow softly and a foggy image began to take shape. Hiei suddenly felt dizzy and fell back against the couch, unconscious.

* * *

Warm water fell onto Ryann's pale skin and she sighed heavily. The shower felt wonderful but it wouldn't soothe her worried thoughts. **I can't believe I'm starting to like him. This has never happened before. What am I going to do? **

She stood in the shower for a long time, contemplating how this happened. **What makes me attracted to him, anyway? Sure, he's good-looking. But he can really be a prick. I don't know anything about him... and yet the mystery is exciting. **_**Sigh**_** I don't know.**

She shut the water off when it began getting cold and dried herself off, still pondering herself. There was something she must've been missing because none of this made sense. Taking her time, she got dressed in sleeping clothes and brushed her long brown hair, putting it in a braid.

Upon walking back into her bedroom Ryann realized that Ookami was no longer in there. She felt Ookami in the living room, along with Hiei. "I swear if that wolf says one thing, I'll strangle him alive."

Now, on top of being confused about why she was attracted to Hiei, she was worried about Hiei finding out. **That would be horrible. He already thinks little of my now. What would he possibly think if he found out I had a school-girl crush on him. **She shuddered slightly at the thought and laid down on her bed. Her alarm clock read 5:15 in bright red numbers. **Ugh, it's not even close to late enough to go to bed. **

She buried her head underneath of her pillow and groaned. **What is wrong with me? The only way to get over this is to pretend I don't like him. Maybe it'll go away.** She pulled back the pillow and looked up at her ceiling.

Ryann got up from her bed and walked to her door. **Okay, I can do this. Act as if nothing is wrong...** She took a deep breath and opened her door, slowly making her way towards the kitchen. She had been right; Hiei and Ookami were both in the living room. Hiei was staring blankly ahead, gripping something in his hand and Ookami was watching him closely.

She tilted her head. **Wonder what's going on.** Her eyes widened when she realized she may know what they were talking about and darted into the kitchen. She busied herself with looking through the fridge and cabinets for food.

"Mmm, chicken parmesan sounds good. I hope they like it, too. I've never actually cooked it before..."she said to herself. Oddly enough, she had the ingredients she needed, they were just spread out so she never thought about them together.

She smiled to herself as she began to get everything together. **This is good. Keeping myself busy is good.** Her smile faded slightly. She paused what she was doing and closed her eyes.

**I just wish I knew why he feels different... special.**

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ookami skidded into the kitchen.

**Ryann!! Something's wrong with Hiei!!**

"Oh my god!" She quickly dropped everything she was holding and ran as quickly as possible into the living room. He was laying on the couch with his eyes closed. His entire body was limp and he seemed asleep.

Ryann checked his breathing, knowing demons had no heartbeat. He was breathing slowly. Again it seemed as if he was asleep. Then a dim light caught her eye. She opened his balled fist and saw a tear gem in his palm, giving off a soft light. In it, Ryann recognized the image of her parents and herself as a child.

Her lips curved upwards. **So that's where it went. Thank god he's alright.** She sighed and sat back on her feet. She knew exactly what was going on. He had activated her tear gem.

**The conversation when he wakes up will be an interesting one. **She turned her head to Ookami.

"He's fine. He should wake up in 5 or 10 minutes. Could you get me a washcloth from my bathroom, please?" She turned back to Hiei and put her head on her knees, watching his face twitch slightly.

Ookami looked on sadly for a moment. He saw her eyes when he told her Hiei passed out. Pure fear. Now they held relief and slight adoration, hidden under the tears that had welled up. **She really does care for him. Oh, when she finds out he doesn't feel the same... **He shook his head and moved slowly to his mistresses bathroom, feeling very sad for her.

* * *

Well, that's the double digit chapter!! Ryann's feelings are developing, but what about Hiei? And what happened with the tear gem? All good questions. Only time will tell. But outside of the story there's something I wanna ask. 

I have some really good ideas about a Bleach fic (UraharaxOC) that I've already begun to write, and I want to know what I should do. If I post the new story also, then chapters for this story will only come out once every two weeks, as I will alternate between the two. But if I start the other story, then it'll be fresh and there'll be more for the readers to enjoy. Which should I do? I really have no idea...

Thanks for reading!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys! Gotta write this quick, I have to go school shopping soon. Joy. Oh well, it can't be helped. I'm still waiting on a definitive answer on whether I should do an Urahara fic. I've gotten a few answers but you readers' opinions matter to me!!

Enough of that! On to the next chapter!!

**Disclaimer:** I could say I own YYH, but then I'd get in legal trouble and that wouldn't be good, now would it? But nobody's gonna sue me for saying I own Ryann and the other OCs cause guess what? They're actually mine!

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Ooka brought back a washcloth a few minutes later and Ryann got to her feet. "Watch over him for a second, okay?" 

Ookami bowed his head in acknowledgement and she slowly walked into the kitchen, looking back every few steps. She turned on the faucet and dampened the rag. "I know what's happening to him, so why am I worried?" she murmured to herself. She ignored the mess she'd made to get to Hiei. It could wait.

She reentered the living room and placed the damp cloth on his forehead. He had stopped twitching so he should be waking up soon. She sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. She barely saw Ookami walk to the corner and lay down on his pet bed.

Hiei began twitching lightly again and a frown formed on his face. Ryann was confused for a second, but her face relaxed. **It's the second part. I forgot there were two to this one.**

She looked at her tear gem in his hand again. **Why does he have it?** She'd forgotten that she didn't find it in Koenma's office but she'd never imagine Hiei would've taken it. It only confused her more about the the unconscious fire demon on her couch.

Again Hiei's face began to relax and Ryann knew that the second part was over. Now he would really be waking up soon. She sighed to herself and rotated her neck until it popped. Hiei's hand moved slightly and the tear gem fell to the floor with a soft _clink_. She scooped it up and held it to her eye. **Yep, it's over. The picture's fading away.**

Hiei groaned softly and ran his hand down his face. Ryann smirked to herself as he opened his beautiful crimson eyes. **Here we go.**

* * *

Hiei's head was throbbing and what he'd just seen was still playing before his eyes. He ran his hand up his face and felt a warm, wet cloth on his forehead. He heard something shuffle next to him and he opened his eyes slowly. Ryann was sitting next to the couch he was on, her arms were around her knees and she was staring at him. 

His head still hurt but he moved into a sitting position anyway. He looked at her. She was still staring but had tilted her head. He hated to admit it, but she looked cute.

He grabbed the cloth and held it against his head. "What just happened?" he asked sharply.

She smiled sheepishly at him. "You activated my tear gem..."

"Activated?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Mine are special. They hold memories."

He paused. "How is that possible? I've never heard of that before."

Ryann shifted into a cross-legged position and took a deep breath. "Well, most ice apparitions can't do it. It really has to do with emotions. Most apparitions, such as the Koorimes, handle large amounts of emotions by crying and releasing their energy." She noticed something in Hiei's eyes flicker when she mentioned the ice tribe. **Hmm...**

She continued. "I don't do that with my energy. Instead of releasing it, I channel it. I let it course through my own body as opposed to sending it out. That way, I don't become weak when I get upset. But it also made some of my energy be locked into the tears that I cry." She held up the gem. "This one, as you know, was caused by the memories of my parents dying. My energy locked a copy of that into the tear. You accessed it."

He was silent for a moment. Ryann watched his face closely. "You have a question?"

"... how? How did I see it?"

She smiled and tried hard not to blush. "You wanted to know about me or it. It only responds to those who ask it something."

"But I didn't ask it anything."

She looked him right in the eyes. "You don't have to ask it out loud," she said softly. "You have to want to know, and it'll show you."

A tense silence followed. Ryann was trying to keep her mind from considering what that could mean, and Hiei was recalling what he'd seen. He saw Ryann start to toy with something around her neck. Ryann noticed he was looking at her and glanced down at her hand.

"Oh!" She pulled on a string around her neck and a necklace of tear gems similar to the one Ryann held in her hand. "I keep them with me when I want to look back at my past. I only have 5... well 6 now." She looked dropped the necklace and looked at the gem in her hand.

She suddenly held her palm out to Hiei. "Here."

Hiei stared blankly at it. "What?"

"Take it. I have two more that have the same memory inside them."

"Why would I want it?" he asked rudely.

She smirked at him. "Why did you take it in the first place?" His silence made her laugh slightly. "Look, you must've wanted it for some reason before, elsewise you wouldn't've taken it. I have others exactly like it. Just take it."

He slowly reached out a took the gem carefully. He stared at it in his hand. **I still don't understand why I wanted it in the first place.**

Ryann got up and stretched her arms. "Well, now that you're okay and everything's okay, how about I make dinner? Have you ever had chicken parmesan before?" She didn't hear an answer and looked back. Hiei was still staring at the gem. It was beginning to glow again.

"Hiei!" she yelled at him. He blinked at looked up at her. "Stop it! If you keep doing whatever you're doing, you're gonna activate it again and you'll pass out!"

He just hned at her and crossed his arms, the gem still in one hand. **Oy, he's such a brat. **Ryann thought to herself crossly.

She went into the kitchen to clean up and try to cook dinner again.

* * *

Once Ryann had left the room Ookami got up and walked to the loveseat. He jumped up onto it and looked at Hiei. He was looking at the gem again. 

**You heard her, if you keep wondering about it then you'll pass out again.**

Hiei's eyes flickered up and he glared slightly at the wolf. **Nobody asked you.**

**Just trying to help. I don't want my mistress freaking out again.**

Hiei's eyes widened slightly. **What do you mean?**

Ookami snickered. **Oh, now you care what I say. **Hiei glared again. **When I told her something was wrong she ran straight in here, and while you were unconscious she sat right in front of you. She put the washcloth on your forehead and watched over you until you woke up. **

Hiei didn't say anything, he justed closed his eyes and put the gem into his pocket.

He heard Ookami whine quietly and opened one of his eyes. **It may not matter to you, but she really cares about you. It's a shame that it's wasted. **

Hiei heard him, but pretended not to. He got up and walked into the kitchen. Ryann was rushing around a bit, and had something smudged on her cheek. She turned around and saw him standing in the doorway.

"Oh! Hi, I'm just making some food. If you want you can go take a shower. Dinner will be ready when you get out..." She suddenly yawned and covered her mouth with an oven mitt. "Sorry! Today's been... weird."

Hiei snorted. "Who're you telling?"

She laughed and tried to smother another yawn. "Well, you know where the towels are. And your clothes are pretty much clean. You might wanna get some more, though, if you're gonna stay here. I'm running out of quarters." She turned back to the stove and continued with her work.

Hiei left her to cook and went into her bedroom.

* * *

Ryann was keeping busy making sure she didn't overcook anything, but her thoughts kept getting away from her. She thought about how scared she was, and the relief that flooded her when she realized he was okay. **What am I going to do about this? Can I really pretend I don't like him?  
**

Then she recalled telling her story. **Why did he flinch when I mentioned the Koorimes? Should I even ask? **She frowned. **I think I've pissed him off enough with my questions.**

Steam started pouring from the pot on the stove and she quickly turned it off. 20 minutes later she had dinner all ready and laid out. Hiei was still in the shower so she sat down and ate quietly. **I commend myself on this great meal!**

She cleaned off her plate and stuck Hiei's plate in the microwave. Hopefully he wouldn't try to use it and blow up the apartment. A quick glance at the clock showed it was 6:45. "It's still that early? It's hardly getting dark outside" she said to herself.

She sat in the kitchen for a few minutes, then walked down the hallway to her bedroom. "Ooka, I'm going to bed!"

She didn't hear a reply but went into her room anyway. She heard the shower running through the bathroom door and blushed slightly at the thought of Hiei being naked in her shower. **Nope! Not gonna go there!!**

With a sigh Ryann flopped down on her bed. **Tomorrow after school we're all going to Genkai's temple to train. Finally I'll be able to use some of my powers. I've been feeling a little restless. **

**I wanna see Yoko Kurama, and kick his ass. Everything today started because of him. **Her face darkened. **I wonder if there's a way to kill him without hurting Kurama. **She pondered this and ended up falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

Hiei came out of the bathroom and saw Ryann laying on her bed, the covers at her feet and her hand over her face. She was muttering something unintelligible. He tried not to think about it but she looked cute like that. 

He rolled his eyes at himself and walked to the door. He heard her shift and turned around. The blanket wasn't on the bed anymore and Ryann was shaking slightly. He watched her for a second and sighed to himself. **I swear I need to kill something soon. I'm going soft.**

He walked over and pulled the covers back over her. A smile crossed her face and she sighed into her pillow. A stray piece of hair came over her eyes and her nose started to twitch. He pushed it away lightly and started to walk away again. He couldn't.

Ryann's hand had darted out and grabbed part of his jacket. It was like a vice grip. He tried for a while to make her let go but she kept holding on.

"Mine," she mumbled and tried to turn over, bringing the jacket with her. He groaned to himself and took it off. **Stupid onna. **

She snuggled into the jacket and sighed again in contentment. His eyes roamed over her face for a moment. A small smile came onto his face. He thought of all the things Ookami had told him. One statement in particular came to mind.

'**It may not matter to you, but she really cares about you. It's a shame that it's wasted.'**

He walked slowly out of the room. Ookami walked into it and Hiei closed the door behind him. He layed down on the couch and closed his eyes. One final thing passed his mind before he fell asleep. Ookami heard and smiled to himself, curling up on the other side of Ryann.

**Maybe it's not wasted after all.**

* * *

I've been waiting for this chapter for forever!! Things really start getting interesting after this. Next chapter they'll go to Genkai's!! Please please PLEASE tell me what you think about the UraharaxOC fic. I really don't know what to do! Thanks for reading!! 


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys!! I've got a few announcements to make, so please read them.

-I've decided to go ahead and do the Urahara Fic; the first chapter is already posted. That means this story will be updated less often. I'm sorry about that but I really wanted to do the other story and the only advice I got was to go ahead with it. BTW Thanks to Songsiren for actually answering my question! You rock, babe!

-School is starting Monday the 27th and this year is gonna be pretty rough for me. I've got at least 9 huge tests I have to take this year, plus I gotta start looking at colleges, scholarships, loans and all that stuff. I may have to skip a week every once in a while to keep up, but trust me when I say that if that happens I will definitely make up for it in the next post.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, ONWARD!!

**Disclaimer:**... Yeah, you get it already.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Ryann woke up with a large smile on her face. **Finally, I get to train!** She jumped out of bed and gracefully... tripped on her covers. 

"Why does that happen to me?" she questioned the floor. She got to her feet and untangled herself. A quick glance at her clock showed that she woke up earlier than normal, but she had gone to bed early. After a quick shower, she got dressed and carried her hairbrush into the kitchen.

She grabbed a box of pancake mix and some milk and began mixing the batter. She tried really hard to be quiet while getting the pan out of her cabinet but being the klutz that she is, she made the entire stack of pots and pans fall to the floor. She heard the person in the apartment below her yell something through their ceiling to her, but she was too preoccupied to hear it.

A very annoyed fire demon was standing in the kitchen doorway with a glare on his face. His spiky hair was slightly disheveled and he had no shirt on. Ryann was caught between being scared and admiring how sexy he looked.

"Heh... heh... Ohayo Hiei!" she said with an uneasy laugh. His glare intensified. "Sorry about waking you up, the pots and... pans... fell..." She trailed off and smiled sheepishly at him.

A glint of steel caught Ryann's eyes as she noticed he had his katana out. Her eyes widened and she slowly backed into the fridge.

"Uhh, Hiei? W-w-what are you g-gonna do with that k-k-katana?" she asked, slightly frightened. **Kuso! Why oh why did they have to leave me with a homicidal fire demon?!? Why did they let him keep his sword?**

Ookami was awake and heard her from the bedroom. **Because he's supposed to protect you from any psychopath wanting to kidnap or kill you.**

**Oh... Well, who saves me when my saver is a psychopath wanting to kill me?** her mental voice asked sarcastically, despite her situation.

"Ok, calm down Hiei. I was just making pancakes, see?" She held up the bowl of pancake batter. He was slowly advancing on her. "I got up early and wanted to make us breakfast before I left!" she practically yelped as she dodged a swing of his katana.

She quickly dove out of the kitchen and ran into her room, panting. With a sigh of relief, she relaxed against the door. It began to move as Hiei banged on it, so Ryann scooped up her book bag and dashed out of her window.

She ran as fast as she could to the schoolyard and collapsed under a tree. "Okay...note to self... don't EVER... wake up Hiei..." she gasped out through her heavy pants.

"Are you alright, Ryann?"

"GAH!" She jumped up and hit her head on a low branch. Holding her throbbing noggin, she squinted through teary eyes at the redhead infront of her. "Oh, yes Kurama, I'm peachy!! I only got attacked for making breakfast and now I got the shit scared out of me and hit my head on this freakin tree!"

She spun and kicked the tree. "YOWW!!" Ryann was now hopping up and down, holding onto her hurt foot.

Kurama just sweatdropped.

"Evil freakin tree" Ryann muttered to herself as she sat back down under it. Kurama took a seat next to her. "So what are you doing here so early, fox boy?"

"I always arrive here around this time. I tend to wake up early and just come here."

She stared at him. "... You have no life, ne?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You said something about being attacked this morning?"

She huffed. "Hai! I got up early so I decided to make breakfast for me and Hiei. Only thing was I accidentally made all of my pots and pans fall down, and it woke him up. He's eeeeeeeevil when he gets woken up. Then, he came after me with his katana!! Can you believe that?!?!"

"Yes," Kurama replied calmly.

"What the hell? He isn't supposed to do that!!"

Kurama chuckled as Ryann continued to rant about Hiei being ungrateful and how she didn't do anything. **I guess they've had an eventful time.**

"... don't know why he was so mean to me! I mean if he wasn't looking so sexy I swear I would've frozen his ass and made a Hiei-cicle!!" Ryann's eyes widened as Kurama's head shot around and she clamped her mouth shut.

Kurama smirked at her and his eyes began to change color slightly. She groaned.

"Oh no, anyone but Yoko!" she moaned.

"What was this I heard about Hiei looking sexy?"

"...nothing," she mumbled. Kurama laughed.

"I don't think it was nothing. Has anything happened between you two yet? Tell me all of the details."

"WHAT!?!?! Nothing has happened, nothing is happening, and nothing will happen!!" She smacked Kurama's head and stalked into the school, her face a deep red. **I swear when Yoko comes out later today I am so going to kick his ass to another dimension.**

Inside Kurama's mind, Yoko chuckled to himself. **We'll see, hun. We'll see.**

* * *

The school day seemed to zip by and Ryann dashed from the room at the final bell. "Yes!!" She yelled as she jumped into the air. Everyone began to stare at her, and her face darkened. "What are you looking at?!?!" They averted their attention from the insane girl glaring at them. 

Her smile rapidly returned and she ran back inside. "Shuichi!!" she sang as she dashed around the halls. **Where is that fox? It's time to go!!**

She found him in the science lab and grabbed his sleeve, yanking him out the door. "Come on, we gotta go train!!"

Kurama sighed and started running to keep up with her. They met up with Yusuke and Kuwabara in the park. "Yay! Now we can go and I can finally use my powers!"

She began to walk off in a random direction and Yusuke sweatdropped at her excitement. "Uhh, we gotta wait for Hiei. And it's not that way." She spun around and marched up to Yusuke with an evil look on her face.

"I said... 'Now we can go'!" She growled at him. Claws started growing out of her hands and her eyes began to get darker. Yusuke's eyes widened and he began to sweat slightly

Kurama simply walked up to her and bonked her on the head. She fell down instantly and she layed there silently. The three boys stared down at her as she looked blankly at the sky.

A few minutes later she shot up and hit Kuwabara in the face with her head. "Ahh! My nose!!" he cried as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"What happened?" Ryann asked them all, confused. Kurama and Yusuke face-faulted.

"Oh! I must go get Hiei and Ookami!" She disappeared as Yusuke and Kurama were getting back to their feet. Literally a minute later she returned with a 'hibernating' Hiei on her back and Ookami following.

"Can we go now?" She asked excitedly.

Yusuke groaned and grabbed Kuwabara, who was still whining about his nose. They all walked off towards Genkai's temple to finally see Ryann in action.

* * *

"Genkai-sensei!!! I'm baaaaaaaaack!!" Ryann sang out as she and the others climbed the steps up to Genkai's dojo. Hiei was still perched on her back and as of then hadn't woken up. As soon as Ryann reached the front door, though, she promptly dropped him and darted inside. 

Hiei jolted from hitting the ground and jumped to his feet. "Why am I at Genkai's temple?"

He turned around and saw Kurama, the Detective, and the idiot stifling their laughter. He glared. "How did I get here?"

"Ryann carried you here," Kurama answered with a snicker.

He was about to respond but a loud "BABA!!!!" rang through the temple. The four all sweatdropped at Ryann's excitement and walked inside to save Genkai from Ryann.

"Oh Genkai-sensei, it's been FOREVER! I haven't been able to use my powers for months!" She pouted. Ryann was sitting on the floor across from Genkai. The two were calmly drinking tea.

"Ry-chan, I know you're excited but please keep your voice down," Genkai sighed.

"Ry-chan?" Yusuke raised his eyebrow in question.

Ryann turned her head and growled at him. "Only Baba-sensei is allowed to call me that." Her attention went back to Genkai and she smiled widely. "So! When do I get to start training?"

"Did you bring your weapon?"

"Hehe, funny you should ask that..."

"_Sigh_ Ry-chan..."

"What?! It was all Hiei's fault!!" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at a startled Hiei. "If he didn't try to kill me this morning thenI wouldn't have forgotten it."

"Uhh, Ryann? You went back to your apartment before we came here," Kurama reminded her.

"Oh, yeah!"

"..."

Everybody but Ryann face-faulted. She just smiled widely.

"Oh! I know!! I can make a weapon." She stood up and closed her eyes. Blue fog surrounded her and she was once again in her demon form. She had now had 7 tails, all pure white. She opened her eyes and stared at her outstreched hands. As her eyes changed to an icy blue, a ball of ice began to form between her hands. It stretched and began to take the shape of a sai. Then, she placed it in her hair and formed another one.

"Yay! I like my ice sai better anyway." She started twirling them between her fingers in excitement. One 'accidentally' got loose and went straight for Kuwabara's head. His eyes widened but it stopped right infront of his face.

Ryann walked over to it, her eyes glowing white. She grabbed it from in the air and placed it in her hair. "Whoops, sorry Kuwabaka!!" she called as she walked back to the table.

He was too shocked to correct her. Hiei smirked at her and the other two were just staring. Genkai was still drinking her tea.

"So..." Ryann trailed off and turned around. "Who's first?"

* * *

They all decided that she would battle her way up the group in order of rank. That meant starting with... Kuwabara. The two stood across from eachother inside Genkai's massive training room. Kuwabara was whining about not being able to fight a girl. 

"Hey Kuwabara!! Head's up!!" she yelled from across the room. Both of her sai were sailing through the air towards Kuwabara's face again. She closed her eyes and snapped them open immediately, and the two sai stopped centimeters from his face. One went a bit too far and sliced part of his nose.

She stared in interest as he just stood still with his eyes very wide. He suddenly fell backwards in a dead faint. "Tsk tsk, I feel insulted. It's like he didn't trust me to stop it." She grinned evilly and called her sai back.

**This bitch is crazy!! **Yusuke thought to himself as he dragged his poor friend out of the way.

"Kurama!" she sang. "It's your turn!!"

He walked slowly into place and paused. "If you don't mind, Yoko would like to fight this battle. He said something about you requesting a fight with him."

She grinned, showing her sharp canines. "Bring it on, fox. I can handle him."

He smirked. "As you wish."

She blinked as a light mist manifested around the room. She looked to the others on the sidelines to see what was going on. Nobody seemed to be doing anything. She looked back to her opponent and her eyes widened.

Right in front of her stood a very tall kitsune with long silver hair and beautiful gold eyes. He was smirking at her with a certain glint in his eyes. "You are Ryann, ne? I've been looking forward to meeting you." He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, still looking her in the eye.

She was speechless. **Kami, I thought Kurama was good-looking. He's absolutely gorgeous!! **She continued to stare dumbly up at the chuckling kitsune in front of her. "Wow," was the only thing she could say.

Yoko leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "So tell me, Ry-chan, have you and Hiei progressed in your relationship, or are you free for the taking?" She shivered at his hot breath and finally regained the sense to jump away from him.

"That... is none of your business, Yoko. I do believe we have a fight to begin, don't we? After you," she growled at him. Her sai started glowing blue with the energy she was emitting and her eyes glittered dangerously. **That is the LAST time you will make me feel like a fool. I ****will**** make you pay.**

On the sidelines, Hiei was trying very hard to control the fury he felt as soon as Kurama changed into Yoko. He remembered how strange Ryann had been acting the other day, and seeing him close to her like that just made him blood boil. **I can't say I understand why I'm pissed, but I swear the next time we spar, I'm giving that fox a vasectomy. **he thought viciously.

"Are you ready, Ryann?" Genkai called.

"Yes, Baba-sensei. I'm ready," she replied, deadly serious.

"Are you ready, Yoko?"

"More than ready." He smirked, never taking his eyes off of Ryann.

"BEGIN!"

* * *

Baba- Old woman, Hag 

I bet you guys hate me right about now, dontcha? Oh well!! This chapter was actually longer than I thought it would be, I had planned on adding the battle between Ryann and Yoko in but that would be too long for a single regular post. Besides, the cliffhanger is just perfect right here, ne? Hehehe. Well, the next chapter will be up in about two weeks!! Review please!!


	13. Chapter 13

Well, I guess I underestimated the time I'd have and the boredom that would overtake me on my weekends. Of course this may just be for the first bit of school, since there isn't really a lot of homework yet. But, either way, I get to update both of my stories. REJOICE!! Here it goes!!

**Disclaimer:** Take a wild guess at what I'd say here. Winner gets a cookie.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

"BEGIN!" 

Genkai's voice rang through the training room but neither opponent moved an inch. Their eyes were locked on each other; everything else was blocked out.

Noticing Yoko didn't draw a weapon, Ryann smirked and shifted her weight to one leg, flipping one of her ice sai in the air.

"What's the matter, Yoko? Don't know which big scary plants to use on lil' old me?"

"I'm merely eliminating all of the deadly plants I could use, since it would be such a shame to kill that pretty face of yours. Not to worry, though, I think I've come up with the perfect thing." Ryann growled at the 'pretty' comment, and she was sure she heard someone else growl, too. **Must have been Ookami.**

"Can we move a little faster, then, cause I really want to fight Hiei. Fire vs. Ice is interesting, especially since both powers are paradoxal and we both have another element. Sorry but Ice vs. 'scary trees' is kinda boring."

"As you wish."

Yoko stealthily took a seed from his long tresses and flicked it into the center of the floor. It began to glow gently and vines started to spring out everywhere.

"Oh dear," Ryann commented and side-stepped a vine heading towards her ankles. It changed its path and began heading towards her again. As did the other vines. Before she could move away, all but her head was covered in them.

"This is a plant very similar to the Ojigi Plant I used during the Dark Tournament. It grows speedily and follows reikai but it does not ingest what it traps. Instead, it prefers to constrict them slowly. I believe this match belongs to me, seeing as how you can't move," Yoko commented lightly, smirk still firmly in place.

A slow smile began spreading over Ryann's face, growing into a smirk, then a grin, until her sharp canines were bared evilly. **I've seen that smile before.** Yusuke thought to himself. **This can only mean trouble for Yoko.**

"My dear kitsune, you've underestimated me. And how I do so hate it when big strong men such as yourself underestimate me."

Her deep blue eyes began to glow, not blue but a vibrant green. The vines surrounding Ryann shrank away from her almost immediately and returned to a lone seed. She walked calmly up to it and picked it up between her thumb and forefinger.

She pinched her fingers and the seed was destroyed. "And there goes your big scary plant."

"Hmm. It seems forgot."

"What the hell just happened?" Yusuke demanded of Genkai. "Why did Yoko's plant just... back off?"

"Because, dimwit, Ry-chan is an arctic wolf demon. All animal-based demons can control plant life."

"Yoko only uses plants, and so Ryann has the advantage using her ice attacks also," Hiei added with interest. **Finally Yoko caught between a rock and a hard place. Bastard deserves it. **He was wary about his friend being near Ryann. He wasn't entirely sure why though.

"So, your animal part slipped my mind. Care to indulge me a weapon of greenery so we can battle on close-to-equal footing?" Yoko asked politely, the annoying smirk of doom still gracing his lips.

"If you stop freakin smirking at me I'll let you use a plant-based weapon like I do with my sai."

"Fair enough." His face deadpanned and vines began wrapping around his right arm. They slowly took shape and created a blade around his entire forearm.

"Ahh, Binding Fist of the Demonic Vine? I've actually seen this in use once before. Finally, something may be challenging. We'll see how good of a swordsman the great Yoko Kurama is."

The two sai glittered dangerously in Ryann's hand, and the vine blade on Yoko's arm responded with a deadly gleam. Two power-based weapons... Well, three. Two sai and a blade. But still, two sounds more dramatic. So, two power-based weapons.

Yoko suddenly darted around Ryann's right and slashed at her back. Ryann quickly blocked with her left and slashed at the leafy plant covering his arm. He jumped back and dove forward again, seemingly going for her face. She ducked and rolled out of the way.

Both stepped away and watched each other in a calculating way. Ryann slowly shifted her feet and twirled one of her sai absently. Yoko took this opportunity to spring forward and slashed her wrist. While he was in a lunging position, Ryann took her other sai and brought the hilt down hard on his shoulder, hearing it pop out of place. Again both separated to tend to themselves.

Ryann stared dispassionately at her right wrist, now bleeding profusely and unable to hold the sai that was on the floor. She sighed and melted the now useless weapon. **Good thing I'm ambidextrous. **

Across the floor, Yoko was gripping his shoulder tightly. A crack resounded through the room and Ryann knew he'd relocated his arm into the socket.

"Shall we continue?" Ryann asked with a small smirk.

"After you."

The two converged again, each lunging for a blow two or three times before they separated and regrouped. Then they'd go after each other again. This continued for a while until they both were covered in cuts and were panting. Ryann had blood from a head wound dripping into her eye and Kurama was having problems holding injured arm up.

**I gotta end this or we'll keep going until we're just shredded pieces of demon. **Ryann thought to herself as she dodged a sloppy jab at her left arm. She melts her remaining sai and closes her eyes. Still dodging Yoko, she began forming a large chunk of ice in her hand. It began to take shape and grew into a large icicle. She had it hovering in front of her hand and was using it as a shield from Yoko's blade.

She broke off a small chunk and sharpened it, sending it to Yoko's other arm. It hit and bled steadily. As if on cue Yoko jumped away from her and glanced down at the wound. Taking the moment, Ryann snapped her eyes open and shot another ice-sai she had in her hair at the icicle. It broke into thousands of smaller but sharp and deadly pieces. Half of the just fell straight to the ground and melted while the other half were sent hurtling towards Yoko.

He had braced himself for the impact but only felt a _whoosh_ of air pass him and a point rest against his nose. He opened his golden eyes and glanced at the disheveled, bloody demoness standing across from him.

"Yield?"

"Yes, I believe this battle is yours."

She sighed in relief and dropped all of the shards. The two leaned against each other, though Yoko was more leaning over Ryann, and walked to the group standing on the sidelines. Yusuke was staring at Ryann with a slightly frightened look on his face while Genkai and Hiei were emotionless.

**Good work, onna.** Despite being called 'woman' instead of her name, Ryann smiled wearily at Hiei and closed her eyes.

**I agree, quite a show. It's been a while, though, hasn't it?** Ookami sidled up and supported his mistress. **We'll have to train more often to reach our potential again. **The two began to glow a whiteish-blue color and both Yoko and Kuwabara began to glow as well. Genkai, Yusuke and Hiei watched as the two men's wounds healed themselves.

"She can heal?" Hiei inquired.

"It drains the very last of her energy, but she'd rather use it to heal others than herself, even if she's the worst for wear. She's almost as senseless as the dimwit but she's as loyal as they come."

The glow ceased and Kuwabara slowly began to wake from his dead faint. Yoko admired Ryann's handiwork and turned to commend his opponent but found her passed out beside her pet and companion.

"I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to speak to her, then." He then changed back into Kurama, who was frowning slightly. He saw how bloody Ryann looked and his frown deepened.

"I told Yoko not to hurt her too badly," he murmured to himself and picked her up bridal-style. "Genkai-sensei, is there somewhere I can put her so she can sleep and be treated?"

Genkai nodded. "Follow me." She lead Kurama off down a hallway, leaving Hiei with Yusuke and a half-conscious Kuwabara.

Hiei's gaze followed Kurama's back with a heated glare. Seeing her in Kurama's arms felt so wrong to him, and he wasn't quite sure why. Also, during the fight he wanted to torture his friend for every time he made the onna bleed. What was going on with him?

His thoughts raced at what could be happening to Ryann with Kurama around and he raced off towards her room. **To make sure she's alright and to continue my duty to protect her.** He explained himself to... himself.

Kuwabara slowly realized that he had passed out and jumped to his feet.

"Alright, where is that crazy woman? I'll beat her to the ground!"

Yusuke sweatdropped. "She already beat you, remember? You fainted."

"That wasn't fair, the fight hadn't started yet! If I'd been prepared, then nobody could've defeated the great Kazuma Kuwabara!" He took a dramatic pose. Silence met his statement and he looked around and saw nobody around.

"Hey guys! Wait for the Great Kazuma!" and so he bounded heavily down the hallway to where his companions had gone.

* * *

It was nearly pitch black in the room when Ryann finally awoke. **Ugh, my head. Healing always gives me a killer migraine. **She moved to sit up but was pushed firmly back into bed with a slightly heated hand. 

"Hiei?" she questioned the darkness. She saw his beautiful crimson eyes open and smiled.

"You're still healing, onna. Go back to sleep."

"Can't. I've got a headache."

"Kurama made something for you to drink when you woke up." A glass was pressed into her hands and she slowly brought it to her lips. It tasted warm and spicy, sort of like cinnamon, and warmed her throat as she drank it.

The glass was removed from her hand and she felt her eyes grow heavy. **Oy. A sedative medicine. You could've told me, you know?  
**

Hiei smirked. **Go to sleep onna. You did well today. Tomorrow you'll really need your strength.**

She smiled and closed her eyes slowly. **Yeah, I have to beat you tomorrow.**

**We'll see.**

She sighed softly and her breathing slowed. Hiei pushed her bangs from her forehead with a gentle hand. After a few moments of watching her sleep peacefully, he sat against a windowsill and looked out into the night, a small smile on his lips.

**Goodnight, Ryann. Tomorrow, we fight.**

* * *

I had a bit of a problem writing this cause I forgot what I thought of when I wrote the last chapter. So this is what I came up with this time. I hope it's as good as the other way would've been. And see, I updated in less than two weeks. It'll only be two weeks between posts if I don't have time to post two chapters in one weekend. That won't happen very often. Well, I must sleep now! Review puh-lease!! 


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! I really don't have anything to say right now, except that this chapter will be kinda angsty and sad. You've been warned!

**Disclaimer: **Yoshihiro Togashi owns Yu Yu Hakusho. I'm sure some of you know that. I own Ryann, Ookami, the other OCs, and the plotline. Etc. etc. etc.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

A few hours after Ryann had gone back to sleep, a soft white glow began to fill the room. It was dim enough for Hiei to ignore it but when Ryann shifted in her sleep, the glow brightened and caught his attention. 

He scanned the room urgently but relaxed when he didn't see or sense anybody around. **What is that light, then?** The glow illuminated Ryann's face and Hiei froze. Even though she had a cut on her forehead and a bruise spreading across her cheek, she looked amazing. Unknowingly, he moved closer to her bed. He gently brushed the hair away from her face and just looked down at her.

Her brow furrowed and Hiei tensed, thinking he'd woken her up. She began breathing heavily and she began twitching. What was going on with her? She turned her head stiffly and Hiei realized where the glow was coming from. Her tear gem necklace was glowing like it had the other day. She was reliving her memories in her sleep.

Seven identical gems were hanging from a black string around her neck. The furthest one on the right was glowing brighter than the others, and he could just barely make out a picture of a woman within it.

**I've seen that woman before. Where have I seen her before?** And for the second time that week, Hiei passed out from the power in Ryann's tears.

* * *

Everything all around Ryann was covered in ice. In the middle of the cavern was a couch of sorts made entirely of ice, and yet it didn't feel cold to the touch. The wall in front of the couch was blank, but had just shown her the memory stored inside one of her tear gems. That particular one was from her childhood, just a trivial occurrence that had made her cry. 

She was sitting quietly on the ice, waiting for the next scene to play. **Maybe this time I'll remember that one memory. **One of the gems held a memory that she could not recall, even if she'd just accessed it. There was no reason for this to happen, and yet...

A bright white light filled the room and Ryann sensed demonic energy. She bolted to her feet and turned to whoever had invaded her memory, but relaxed when she recognized the fire demon. He'd just materialized and was looking around in confusion.

"Hello, Hiei. What brings you here?" she asked in a conversational tone. He just walked over to her and sat down on the ice-couch.

"I take it you asked the gem a question again?"

"Hai."

"You picked a great time. This may take a while, all of my gems are activating themselves. You'll get to see first hand what happened in my past. Yippie for you." Nobody could miss the sarcasm dripping from every word.

"What is this place? I didn't come here last time?" Hiei asked her a moment later.

"This is a dimension of sorts that's created by my energy when this happens. You didn't go here because you didn't activate all of my gems at once. You were put right into the memory."

The room suddenly dimmed. The wall in front of them flickered and the two turned to look at it. As if it was a movie screen it showed a small child with white ears and a white tail clutching a pillow very tightly. Tears were streaming down her face and she was whimpering. She had only a few teeth.

Ryann sighed. "This was from when I was 3. It's a good memory. One of the few." she said quietly.

* * *

Ryann, now only a toddler, sat in the darkness of her room with a pillow clenched tightly in her little fists. She'd been plagued by a nightmare and had woken up in hysterics. She heard heavy footsteps outside of her room and shrank away from the sound. Her door opened and two figures rushed in to her side. 

Yasuo and Mura Yukiko were immediately at the side of their young daughter. Yasuo was a tall man with pure white hair and bright blue eyes. His skin was fairly pale and a thin scar ran down the length of his nose. One could look at him and tell he was from royal descent. All of his movements were elegant and graceful. Ryann's mother Mura appeared to be almost the exact opposite of him. She was a very petite woman with chocolate hair and eyes. Her head was adorned with two brown ears and a tail was swaying gently from her lower back.

"What is it, Ry-chan? What happened?" her mother asked her softly. Her voice was deep and melodic, instantly calming down the mewling child.

"Mommy, I had a b-bad dream! You and Daddy were gone and I couldn't find you! You left me!!" and she broke into sobs again. Her father and mother exchanged looks over their daughter and the two embraced her.

"It's alright now, Hime, we're here. We would never leave you," her father cooed. Tears were still rolling down her face but she stopped sobbing and was hiccuping lightly.

"Am I really a princess, Daddy?" she questioned innocently.

He chuckled. "Of course you are, dear. One day you'll go see the castle we're all going to live in. It's really big, and you'll have all kinds of toys to play with. You'll be able to do anything you want there. It'll be just the three of us."

"All of us are gonna be there? You, me, and Mommy?"

"Hai. All of us. We'll live there together."

"As long as we're together, then, I don't mind going," Ryann sighed out and closed her eyes. One last tear rolled down her cheek and became a gem. It hit the floor and rolled underneath her bed. Her parents scooped up the rest of the gems and tucked her in.

* * *

The memory faded away but Ryann's eyes were still locked on the wall. Her expression was blank but her eyes showed the deep sadness she kept inside. **It's been so long, but I miss them as badly as I did years ago.**

Hiei sat silently, listening to her thoughts. What could he say to her? He wasn't the type to comfort people that were upset. He'd never even felt like he should. **Then why does ****her**** sadness affect me? **

A few minutes later Ryann broke the silence. "I think the next one is of my mom. When I found her."

"You're the one who found her?"

"Hai. I was 5. She'd went to her pack to talk about me becoming a member when I became of age. They refused unless I married in. She didn't want me to be alone, even if something happened to them. She wanted me to have a home. A week later, I found her."

Again the room went dark and the wall formed a picture of Ryann, slightly taller, walking through the woods.

* * *

"Mommy! Where are you?" She walked cautiously around some protruding roots and continued to scan the trees for a sign of her mother. "She said she'd be home yesterday. Where is she?" she mumbled to herself. 

Something in the distance yowled and Ryann froze. It sounded close. She slowly backed away from where she heard the sound. "Maybe I should go home now," she whispered.

A large cat, about the size of a cougar, jumped out of some bushes a few yards away. It raised it head and sniffed the air. Ryann tried to hide herself among the leaves and branches of the trees but its head snapped around and its eyes fixated on her. It pounced and she took off running.

She weaved in and out of the trees in an attempt to lose the predator on her tail. A low hanging branch scratched her cheek but she didn't even flinch. The pounding of her pursuer kept her mind focused on running away.

Finally Ryann saw a small cave she could hide inside. It was hidden between two large willows and looked to be big enough for her to fit. She quickly jumped down and slid her body into the opening, trying to calm her breathing and stay silent.

The cat walked carefully around the area, trying to determine where its prey had gone. It gave up shortly after, deciding to chase a rabbit that had popped out of its home at the wrong time. Ryann waited until everything was quiet until she pulled herself out of her hiding spot. She could feel the energy pulsing through her body still.

"I'm going home now. I just hope you're okay Mommy," she said to the forest.

The wind blew her hair gently, as if answering. She looked peaceful for a moment, but her eyes widened and she darted to where the wind was blowing from. A hill came into view, the grass stained crimson. Deep holes littered the hillside, but she navigated her way through them to the other side. Once she reached the crest of the hill, Ryann fell to her knees.

In a pool of her own blood lay her mother. There were several superficial gashes on her arms and legs and one large wound straight through her stomach. Blood was running down her cheek from her mouth.

"Momma!" Ryann screamed and crawled to her mother. She kneeled in her mother's blood and cried as her mother gasped for air. Mura reached up shakily and wiped her daughter's tears away before they could crystalize.

"Ryann...Look at me," she gasped out. Ryann reluctantly met the dull eyes of her mother. "I promised...I'd never leave you...You may not see me...but remember...I'll always be there...I will never...leave you..."

Ryann gripped her hand tightly and nodded. "I know, Momma. I love you."

"...I love you too..." Mura whispered. Her eyes closed and the hand Ryann clutched went limp. Ryann dipped her head and cried silently over her mother's body.

* * *

The light returned to the chamber and the memory faded. Ryann was huddled in a ball, her face buried in her palms. Hiei could see her shoulders shaking with sobs, but saw no gems falling. **Her mother died right infront of her. And she still has a smile on her face every day. **He was amazed at the strength the girl infront of his showed every single day. He never realized. 

Though unsure, Hiei slowly moved closer to her. He could hear her gasping quietly, her body still shaking. He reached out his hand to touch her shoulder, and she looked up at him. Tears were on her cheeks but they weren't becoming gems. The sadness in her eyes made him ache inside. He wiped the tears away gently with his thumb. She leaned forward and buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. His body tensed but he embraced her back. His hand stroked her back gently.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his neck. "You must think so little of me." **I hate showing weakness! I can't believe I'm crying infront of him! I can only imagine what he thinks. **Hiei heard both and shook his head.

"Iie. I admire how you can continue on and still be happy. It's not easy to get over your parents dying, especially when one died right infront of you. How could I think little of you if you show more courage than anyone I've met?"

Ryann pulled away slightly and looked into Hiei's eyes. His gaze was much softer that she'd ever seen it. She smiled up at him and returned her head to his shoulder. "Thank you, Hiei," she said softly.

They remained together like that until another memory began to play. Ryann withdrew her head and looked up sadly. On the screen, a younger version of Ryann was jogging through a field. She looked older than the other memories. She stopped and looked around. The real Ryann turned to Hiei. He saw confusion in her eyes.

"I don't remember this one."

* * *

There you go! Yeah, another cliff hanger, if you could call it that. I know, I'm evil. This chapter was really hard for me to write; I had to get myself into Ryann's head and write the tragedy she experienced. I just hope I captured the emotions well. Feel free to tell me how badly I did. Or review with questions if I didn't make something clear. Or maybe just review me. That works for me. 

Before anyone flames me about Hiei being OOC, I'd like to point out that:

A- he goes out of character in the same manner in just about every romance story he's in, and

B- we've never really seen him in such a situation. For all we know, he could respond with compassion. He showed it to Yukina by not killing Tarukane. That shows that he can be caring. It's plausible that he could be caring in solitude with someone he holds dear, ne?

Well, I've got a mountain of homework to do and more chapters to write in both of my stories. Until my next post then. Sayonara!!


	15. Chapter 15

Whew! I went to my school's football game and dance yesterday, and I ended up screaming my lungs out in the pouring rain for 3 hours, then getting all hot and sweaty from dancing. I've lost my voice and my calves are throbbing. But, since I love you guys I'm ignoring it and writing instead of laying down and going to sleep. I'm such a nice person! (Remember, this chapter starts in a memory!)

**Disclaimer: **Ja, I own some parts of the story. I don't own other parts. I think you're all intelligent enough to sort it all out. (And I mean that in a sincere way!)

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

"I wonder where she is... she said around noon," the younger Ryann told the wind. Grass in the surrounding meadow swayed gently in sync with the gentle breeze. It blew stray pieces of her white hair around her face and made her wolf ears twitch.

In the distance another child was walking slowly into the meadow. She appeared to be Ryann's age and had light blue hair to her shoulders. Her head was down and she was dragging her feet along the ground.

"Hey Miyuki!!" Ryann yelled excitedly across the distance. She jogged through the grass and stopped in front of her friend. "Daddy said I didn't have to be home until sundown so we have all day to play!"

Miyuki stayed silent and dropped her shoulders. The smile on Ryann's face fell.

"Miyuki? What's wrong?"

She sniffled and looked up. Tears were glistening in her eyes. "Ry, it's horrible!"

"What is it Yuki? What happened?" Ryan asked anxiously.

"Our clan is fighting with the wolves in the mountains..." she briefly nodded in the direction Ryann had come from.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Your dad's gone to fight, hasn't he? He'll be okay, though, I know he will!" Ryann moved to embrace her friend but Miyuki backed up. She shook her head and a tear leaked out onto her cheek.

"Ry, I can't play with you anymore."

"Wh-what?"

She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "I can't come to visit anymore. Momma said it's too dangerous to be this close to wolves."

Ryann looked heartbroken. "But the wolves are miles away! They've never bothered me and Daddy!"

Miyuki hiccuped and began crying harder. A look of understanding passed Ryann's face and she looked down. Her tail was wrapping itself around her waist.

"She meant me," she whispered to herself.

Miyuki nodded. "I'm sorry Ry. Maybe I can come back when the war is over..." She ran quickly through the field and back into the forest.

Once she was completely out of sight Ryann changed forms. She became a young, pure white arctic wolf and took off back to her house. She ran right past the front steps and continued through the trees towards the mountains. For a long time she ran, weaving in and out of trunks and rocks.

She came upon a clearing with a small pond and some lily pads floating around. Still as a wolf, Ryann layed down right beside the water and curled into a little ball. Tears were leaking out of her eyes but weren't becoming gems, since she was in her wolf form.

The memory suddenly began projecting Ryann's thoughts:

**It's not fair! I didn't choose to be part wolf! And it shouldn't matter. Momma was a wolf and she would never fight with the ice people. Daddy's one of them and they love each other! **Ryann started to whimper when her thoughts went to her mother.

**I lost her because I didn't come soon enough. If it wasn't for me she'd still be alive! And now I've lost Miyuki because I'm a wolf. Who else am I going to lose because of me?!? **

After sitting and thinking for nearly an hour, Ryann got up and started walking home. Then she began jogging. A bit later she broke out into a run. Finally, she was sprinting and swerving erratically through the forest.

**It's my fault everyone leaves me!** Ryann kept saying to herself. She was still crying and couldn't see the fallen log ahead of her. Her legs collided with it and she went flying through the air. Her head hit a large rock and she slid down it. One last tear fell from her eye and turned to a beautiful blue gem before Ryann lost consciousness.

* * *

"It was a year after my mom died," Ryann said quietly after the memory faded. "Miyuki was my only friend. She was from the ice tribe my father came from, and she was the only person that knew about me. I loved her as my own sister. Then I found out that we couldn't be friends because of who I am. I woke up later that day and found the gem. My dad asked about Miyuki and I had no clue who he was talking about."

Once again, Hiei was at a loss for words. Neither of them had been accepted for who they were. Finally someone could understand what it was like to be an outcast because of who their parents were. He tightened his grip around her back and sighed.

Ryann looked up at him. "I won't remember this when I wake up. This memory, at least. I never do. I guess I got amnesia from hitting my head." She shrugged half-heartedly.

"If you watch this memory over and over, why don't you ever remember?"

"Not sure. It just happens that way."

It was silent for a moment. Ryann brought her hand to her mouth and began biting her nails. **I hate this! It's always so painful... and now Hiei has to watch! I can't help but wonder what he really thinks of me...**

Her hand was pulled away and she looked down. Hiei was holding her hand down. "Don't bite your nails, it's a bad habit," he scolded. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"And?"

He didn't respond but squeezed her hand. She squeezed back and smiled lightly. She stopped when she realized what was next.

"This will be about my dad. I was... nine, I think. Like my mom, he returned to his clan for a few days. I begged him not to go but..." She swallowed and continued. "He didn't come back for three days. He said he'd be back the next morning."

When she finished the wall began playing yet another scene. Ryann, as a child, was slipping around a frozen path as snow flakes wafted to the ground.

"You may want to really pay attention to this. It might help you with your mission."

Hiei nodded and focused on the screen.

* * *

"GAH!" Ryann yelled as her feet slid out from under her. "You'd think I would know how to ice skate or something, but nope! Who'd think I'm part ice apparition?"

It was quiet comical to watch, really. Every few steps her feet would slip and she'd be on her back or stomach. Then she's struggle to get up and try again. After maybe five tries, she screamed in frustration and used her powers to raise little ridges in the ice so her shoes could grip. With her head held up in pride, she walked across the path and promptly tripped. A large pile of snow cushioned her fall but she disappeared completely under the snow.

"How am I supposed to find Daddy in all of this junk if I can't even go a few feet without falling?" she asked in a muffled voice. Snow crunching made her keep quiet and sink further into the snow pile.

Two people were walking along the path with ease. Evidently they were ice apparitions from her father's tribe but all she could see were boots. They were walking right to where she was hiding but were moving at a leisurely pace.

The boots came right in front of Ryann's hiding spot and one pair stopped.

"Hey! I think something came by here! Look at these marks," the one that stopped commented with a very deep and scratchy voice. The other one turned and walked back. He knelt down and Ryann saw some badges across a pure white uniform. **Fighters**, she thought, **or guards**.

"It's nothing, let's keep going," the other one said as he stood. His voice was light and airy.

"It's not nothing, these marks could've been made by anything!"

"Relax, it's probably just a young one getting used to walking on the ice. A very clever one, I might add. I never thought of that," he chuckled to himself.

"Lieutenant, we have to assume that these are tracks from the enemy! Remember what happened to Prince Yasuo?"

Ryann gasped quietly at the mentioning of her father but the sound was muffled by the snow.

The lieutenant sighed. "Hai. Poor guy. We found him a few yards from here, you know? Burned to a crisp and left for his body to freeze. Worst thing I've ever seen..." he trailed off.

"Exactly. We don't know who caused it so we have to be wary of anything different or strange. This could be a clue to whoever killed the prince!" he exclaimed.

"Okay. Let's evaluate, shall we? The ice is raised. Only an ice apparition could do that, ne? It couldn't be a half-and-half. The only fire/ice mix I've known of was a very long time ago over in the Koorime group, and he was killed; dropped of the island. So we're looking at something from an ice apparition, maybe a mix with something else, but not the murderer. Come on, let's go, we have to finish rounds before sunset."

The two pairs of boots crunched away and when they were out of earshot Ryann emerged from her snow pile. Her face was completely blank. No emotion. She lowered the ice with her powers to cover her tracks and slowly walked back down the path, not once slipping or falling.

The sun had set an hour before she reached her house. She was still in a trance of sorts. She opened the front door and walked up to her room. All of her dearest possessions were gathered into a tote bag. Ryann walked out of the front door and away from her home. Not once did she look back.

She walked through the woods with no expression and no thought. It was all mechanical. Finally she came across a small pond in a clearing somewhere near the mountains. Something about it was familiar and made her snap out of her trance and fall to her knees.

Everything that had happened hit her at once and she began sobbing against her palms. One tear fell between her fingers and formed a gem.

* * *

Hiei looked down at Ryann when the memory ended, preparing himself to comfort her in case she was crying again but she was just looking at him with a sad expression. **I never knew, Hiei. I guess we're in the same boat, huh?**

**What?** Hiei asked, confused.

**Nevermind. It's nothing. **She turned her head but the sad look didn't leave her. She reached a hand to her neck and pulled a very thin silver string. From it dangled a crystal orb with a spinning crown inside it.

"This was a present from my dad. He has an identical one. The crystal represents ice and the crown is, of course, royalty. It disappears under clothing and the chain is really thin so nobody can see it or steal it. It's the only thing I have to remember him by... well, except for this," and she lifted her hand and formed a ball of ice.

"All Yukikos by blood have one. Momma didn't because she married in."

He remained silent. It finally hit him, what she was talking about. She knew. That lieutenant had mentioned him and Ryann figured it out. **Great.****Just what I need, pity from somebody else.**

**I won't give you pity. **He turned to look at her.Her eyes were sad, yes, but she was telling the truth. **Though nobody offered it, I didn't want pity either. It does no good. Just know that I understand.**

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"Since this is pretty much my show and tell, when is it your turn? I'm interested in the first-hand story of the legendary Forbidden Child."

His blood began to boil at that comment and his eyes snapped open to glare at her, but they softened when he saw her face. She looked truly interested in him.

"I want to know how you became what you are. Who you are."

He sighed and removed one of his hands to rub his eyes. "Later," he said shortly.

"Fair enough, I guess. Oh, the next memory is coming up, and this is actually a good one!"

* * *

**Gasp! **Another cliffhanger! Oh well, it was a convenient place to end. Besides, I'm really tired. The next chapter is the last for a while to have the heavy angsty-ness that I've been exhibiting. Don't worry, it's not an angst fic. If it was then the two categories wouldn't be romance and action, one of them would be angst obviously. The next chapter might actually be put out tomorrow (or later today however you want to see it) because I have nothing better to do this weekend. We shall see. Review puh-lease!! 


	16. Chapter 16

It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the delay, life's been rough. But, I'm back so it's all good! I've been watching football and that's made me happy, plus I'm going to homecoming next weekend! I'm excited, but I'm not quite sure why. It seems like I'd be dreading it, wearing a dress and make-up and all, ya know? Not to mention both of my friends are going with their boyfriends and once again I'm single and don't have a date. And my dad's a chaperon. How lame, right? Anyway, on to the story that you've all been waiting for!! Or maybe not... I don't know! Do any of you actually read this anyway? Sorry, moving along!

**Disclaimer: **I think you all pretty much have the idea. If not, feel free to go back to any chapter before this and read the disclaimer there. I'll wait.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Ryann, appearing ten or eleven years in age, was wandering around a snow-covered section of forest. Every few steps she would bend over and wipe away some snow from the ground. She was looking for something to eat. 

The little girl with bright blue eyes and startling white hair from the other memories was now a dull, broken soul. Her eyes no longer sparkled; her face was withered and emotionless. Scratches and dirt covered her clothes and some leaves were sticking out of her hair. Her cheeks were sunken and the clothes she wore hung off of her emaciated body. She didn't look like Ryann anymore, the one in the past memories or the one in the present; she was an empty shell of what she once was.

Ryann walked slowly and carefully across a log to continue her search for food when something shuffled from inside the log. She jumped and landed gracefully on the other side of the log and extended her claws. The shuffle turned into a low whine, making her ears twitch.

Her eyes began glowing white and a rough ice dagger formed in her right hand, which she slashed at a part of the bark and made a hole. Inside was a small wolf pup, his charcoal fur contrasting with the surrounding ice. Upon hearing his hideout being invaded, he turned and looked fearfully at Ryann and the dagger in her hand. His whimpers grew louder and he backed himself as far away as he could, his tail and ears drawn as close to his body as possible.

Something flickered in Ryann's eyes and she lowered her weapon. It fell from her limp hand and landed with a thud next to her foot. She reached into the log and gently scooped up the quivering pup, ignoring his attempts to wriggle out of her hands. She stroked his fur gently and moved his body as close to hers as possible to keep him warm.

"I'm sorry, little one," she said quietly, her head bowed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you might have been something I could eat."

His body stilled when she started talking to him and his whimpers quieted.

"There now, that's better." A small smile crossed her lips. "Where's your pack, little one? It's not safe around here alone, especially since you don't blend in with the snow."

He whined sadly and curled himself into a ball. He spoke slowly and shakily, sounding like a lost little kid. **They... they left me. Something big came into our cave and momma took me and my brothers to this log. She went back to help daddy and the others but she told us they'd be back for us before sunset. My brothers left after the first two days to go see what was taking them so long. **He started shaking. **It's been days since then. Nobody came back for me.**

Ryann's emotionless face broke as tears welled up in her eyes. She brought her nose down and nuzzled his fur. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

The pup licked her hand and nosed her face. **Are you a wolf? You smell like one but you look different. **

She smiled at him. "I guess you could say I'm part wolf. I have the ears, tail, and claws and I can turn into one, but I'm also part human."

**Oh... what?**

She giggled. "Nothing. Do you want to come back to my home with me? I have some food and I can protect you until you get bigger." Her eyes saddened. "I'd like the company."

**Is it far? I want to be close when mommy comes back for me.**

A tear fell from Ryann's eye. "It's close," she said quietly.

**Okay then! Let's go!** He hopped out of her arms and started prancing through the snow. Ryann hugged herself and watched him, a heavy feeling in her heart.

"Neither of us will be alone again, little ookami. I swear that," she said to the wind, another tear streaking down her cheek. She reached out her hand and caught the gem as it fell, placing it in her pocket where she kept others.

* * *

Ryann's fingers were spinning the gem that had just played the memory. It was glowing softly, fading away as the image faded from the wall. Her head was bowed and her shoulders shook gently. 

"I owe him so much. He saved me from my sadness, and I guess I might've done the same for him. We're two of the same, him and me. I guess you're one of us, too, huh?"

Her comment surprised Hiei, and his body stiffened. It seemed everything she said to him made him think about what it truly meant. It was all new to him.

"Hiei? Are you alright?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked into Ryann's worried eyes.

"Hn. I'm fine."

She smirked. "Very vivid vocabulary."

**So I've been told. **She chuckled and rotated her shoulders until they both popped.

"I'm sorry you've had to sit through this. I'm sure you had better plans for tonight, and you won't exactly be well rested when you wake up. It's your own fault, though. Curiosity killed the cat, ne?"

He just nodded absently. Ryann looked down at her necklace and saw the final gem start to glow. Her eyes widened as she recalled what it showed. **I don't want him to see this one!** She closed her eyes and started glowing herself.

Hiei noticed her starting to glow and cocked his head. A strange sensation overcame him and the room, along with Ryann, began to fade.

* * *

The room in Genkai's temple came into view and Hiei realized he no longer in the tear gem dimension with Ryann. **How did she do that?**

A dim glow filled the room, as it had done before he went into the gems, and Hiei looked over to see Ryann laying on her bed with a small smile on her lips. She looked peaceful instead of uneasy like before. She sighed quietly and curled into a ball. He watched her as the memory played in her mind, wondering what it was and why he wasn't still there, watching it with her.

A few minutes later the light faded and eventually went out. Ryann stirred a bit but snuggled into her pillow and fell into a true sleep. Knowing she was at peace, Hiei leaned back into a chair and drifted off

* * *

The next morning Ryann rose from her bed and blinked sleepily. She saw Hiei asleep in a chair by her bed and smiled to herself. **I'm glad he was there. It made me feel much better. **Making sure to be quiet, she slowly got out of bed and crept out of the room, down the hallway, and into the bathroom. 

She took a quick shower and followed a delicious smell into the kitchen. Kurama was at work making breakfast and Genkai was sitting at the table, slowly sipping tea.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" she said through a yawn and joined Genkai at the table.

"Ohayo Ryann, are you feeling better this morning?" Kurama asked, his back turned to her.

"Yeah. I feel rested. I'm sorry if you feel sore though, I'm not sure if I had enough strength to heal you completely yesterday," she responded with a frown.

He walked to the table with plates of many breakfast foods in his arms and scowled down at her.

"You really didn't have to do that. You should've saved your strength to heal yourself."

"Iie, I hurt Yoko more than he did me, so I thought it was only fair." She winked. "Any time he wants a rematch, though, I'm on. It was quite enjoyable, beating that prick."

His eyes flashed golden for a second but he shook his head and they returned to their emerald color. He set the plates down and scrutinized Ryann, lingering on the bruise on her cheek and the bandages across her arms.

**I could take on the onna. That was a cheap trick, I didn't know she controlled plants too. If I'd known I would have won. **Yoko complained from his mind.

Ryann smirked. **Hun, I could fight you like this and you wouldn't stand a chance. It's not my fault the legendary Yoko was beaten by a sixteen-year-old girl.**

"Maybe some other time. You don't look up to fighting right now," Kurama interjected sternly.

"Well, I'm supposed to be fighting Hiei today, so this'll have to do!"

Genkai placed her cup down and stood up. She slowly sauntered over to Ryann and brought her hand down hard on Ryann's neck. Ryann slumped over and fell backwards on the floor, curling up into a ball.

"She's almost as dull as the dimwit sometimes." Genkai said lightly and sat back down, picking up her teacup and taking a sip. Kurama sweatdropped and placed the plates on the table before scooping Ryann up in his arms and carrying her back to her room.

As soon as he opened the door Hiei sprang from the chair and had his katana up against Kurama's neck. He noticed Ryann in Kurama's arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you carrying the onna?" he inquired sharply.

Kurama raised an eyebrow at the blade by his head. "She came into the kitchen a while ago and fell back asleep so I'm putting her back to bed." **Close enough to the truth.** he thought to himself.

Hiei withdrew his katana but kept it unsheathed and firmly gripped. A slow smile spread across Kurama's face but he silently placed Ryann back into her bed and covered her up. He brushed away some hair from her face and Hiei's energy spiked.

Quickly withdrawing his hand Kurama walked to the door, chuckling quietly.

**What's funny, fox?**

Kurama turned and his eyes showed a mix of green and gold, meaning he and Yoko were sharing thoughts. **Does the fire demon like our little ice princess?**

With a resounding thud Kurama found himself pressed against the wall, Hiei's katana back against his neck.

**I don't know if that was Kurama's thought or Yoko's, but if either of you think that again I will personally kill both of you. And Yoko, leave the onna alone. I know you're after her and I won't hesitate if you threaten her. I still have a job to do.**

**Sure Hiei. Whatever you want to call it. **Yoko taunted. **If you thought of her as a job would you really have me pinned to a wall for suggesting you had feelings for her? One would think you'd see it as a trivial comment, not something that would strike a nerve. **

Hiei pressed down on his katana, and removed it. He walked to the window and sat on the sill, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest. **Leave, fox. You have no purpose here.**

**Goodbye Hiei.**

Kurama left the room, a smirk still on his face. He was rubbing his neck softly; Hiei's blade had drawn blood. **So sensitive. What will he do when he realizes she likes him back?**

**That should be interesting. **Yoko thought back. **I bet he tries to kill her. Get rid of his problems.**

Kurama scowled at that. **Thanks for the optimism. It's such a joy having you as part of me. All the trouble I get in is your fault and every second of the day perverted or pessimistic thoughts invade my brain. What good are you?**

**I gave you my devilish good looks. It's not my fault you don't know how to use them.**

He rolled his eyes and ignored Yoko, walking back into the kitchen to have some breakfast before Yusuke and Kuwabara came in and ate it all.

* * *

I'm soooooo very sorry this took so long guys! I hope it was worth the wait, at least a little bit. My muse has abandoned me so this was hard to word. Please feel free to criticize it, I know it isn't as good as it should be. The next one will be much better, and now that the angst is over for now it'll be much more upbeat and entertaining! Until then, guys! I love you all, thanks for having so much patience with me!! 

ookami - wolf

(for all who didn't know this, do you get my lack of creativity now? I just think this word is cool enough to be a name!)


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! I'm back and writing! It's been an eventful few weeks but things are stabilizing nicely and I'm finally in a secure place with my writing. Things are going well, I haven't had any real writer's block recently, and I should be back to updating weekly! But anyway, I think I'll proceed to writing my next chapter, ne? Onward!

Oh, and before I forget, there's a special thing I'm doing on my blog. Check it out and there might be a prize!

**Disclaimer:** Yeah... If someone tried to sue me for copyright infringement and lost, cause I put disclaimers on every chapter, does that mean they have to pay me? Cause that would be awesome. Oh yeah, I don't own anything from YuYu Hakusho.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

_Creak..._

_Creak..._

_Creak..._

_Creeeeeak-_

_THUMP!_

"KUSO!!"

All heads at the table turned to look down the hall towards Ryann's room. It was dinner time at Genkai's temple and Ryann had just woken up.

_CRASH!_

"I'm all right! Don't all come rushing in at once now!" Ryann yelled sarcastically from her room.

"Don't worry, we won't!" Yusuke yelled back. Kuwabara guffawed at the joke.

The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees as Ryann walked with a vexed expression. She was rubbing her head with a bandaged arm. As a matter of fact, most of her body was bandaged. A stray piece of wrapping on her foot wound itself around her ankles and she was acquainted with the floor for the second time that day.

"Life hates me," she groaned from the floor. Her eyes flickered over to Yusuke and Kuwabara who were cracking up at her. With a flash of her eyes the floor underneath them turned to ice and their feet slid out from underneath them. The ice melted and refroze, trapping them before they could react.

Ryann smirked and stood. "Ohayo Baba-sensei, Kurama, Ookami."

She felt her back heating up and smiled. "Ohayo Hiei."

"Hn." He shouldered his way past her and leaned against the wall.

**I know it was an accident, but thank you for being there with me Hiei. It really helped. s**he told him telepathically.

**Whatever, onna. Tell anybody and I'll slaughter you.**

She winked at him and sat down at the table. Kurama didn't hear the exchange but saw the wink and caught Hiei's eye. A slow smile formed and he looked meaningfully at Ryann and back to Hiei.

**It was nothing like you think, baka hentai. **

Kurama snickered and resumed his meal as Ryann was chatting with Genkai.

"Why can't I fiiiiiight?!" She whined to Genkai.

"Because you're still injured."

"So? I can take Hiei!" Her eyes flickered over to him and she smiled apologetically. **No offense!**

**You'd have no chance.** He said with a smirk.

**I would so!! **

And she so maturely stuck her tongue out at him.

**Want me to cut it off?**

"Eep!" she squeaked and withdrew her tongue. Her attention returned to Genkai.

"Baba, please?"

"Iie."

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

"Iie."

"But..."

"Nothing you say can change my mind so you might as well drop it," she said sternly and got up from the table.

"Hmph, evil old hag," Ryann pouted. "Sorry Hiei, you'll have to wait another week until I kick your ass!"

"Hn, as if you could."

She glared and stalked back down the hallway into her room. Hiei rolled his eyes and followed her. Ookami, who had been quietly observing, got up also and proceeded into his mistress's room.

Ryann was laying peacefully in her bed, staring at the ceiling while Hiei was dutifully scanning the outside from his perch on the windowsill.

Ryann lifted her head as Ookami entered but let it drop back down lazily.**Ooka, I've slept for hours but I'm still so tired! **

**Was it one of those nights? **He asked as he jumped into the bed with her. She curled up next to him and buried her face in his fur.

**Yeah, but this was different... Hiei was there.**

**Hiei?**

She nodded in his fur. **Hai. He accidentally got sucked in and he watched my memories with me. **

Ookami looked over at Hiei, who was pretending not to hear the conversation. **Would you like me to bite him?**

She chuckled sleepily and shook her head. **Iie, it's alright.**With a great yawn she rolled over and sat up. "Hiei, can I go outside for a little while? Please?"

"It's dark outside, onna."

"Please?" she asked quietly, looking at him with her big blue eyes. He sighed and nodded.

"Come on," he commanded gruffly and opened the window. The both jumped out onto a tree by the window and Ryann climbed to the topmost branches. Ookami walked to the window and watched curiously.

Ryann sat in the very top of the tree and just stared at the stars in the sky. Hiei had made himself comfortable just underneath her. "Hey Hiei, can I do something?"

"Hn," he said boredly.

She smiled and her eyes glowed softly. She held her palm out and softly blew into it. Small crystals not there before began to float out and slowly climbed higher in the sky. They came together and formed a small cloud right over Genkai's temple, the tree included. She smiled and formed a ball of ice in her hands. Hiei and Ookami were watching the spectacle silently.

"Watch," she whispered. She threw the ball into the air and it disappeared into the cloud. Immediately after, snow began to fall on the temple and the two demons in the tree nearby. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked quietly.

She sat like that, just watching the snow for a long time until Hiei got bored. He started lighting little fires on the twigs coming from Ryann's branch until he made a mistake...

"OWWWWWW!" Ryann yelped as she grabbed her poor smoking tail and tried to put the flame out. She managed to lose her balance and fell right onto Hiei's branch, snapping it and causing the fire demon to fall as well. He managed to land on his feet and scanned the ground for his charge.

"Ehm, I'm up here!" came a voice from the tree. Ryann was clinging to a branch thirty or so feet from the ground. That too began to snap and down she came. Hiei was ready, though, and caught her just as she was about to hit the ground.

Ookami jolted as his mistress began to fall but started snickering to himself at the scene right in front of him. His mistress was in Hiei's arm, bridal style, with her hands wrapped around his neck. They were looking into each other's eyes as the snow continued to fall around them. **How romantic!** he thought mirthfully.

Hiei slowly put Ryann back on her feet and walked back to the window. He saw Ookami laughing and his eyes widened. With a flash he disappeared into the night. Ryann, still in shock, blinked and looked around for Hiei. She sighed when she couldn't find him but a small smile crept onto her face as she re-entered the temple. Ookami was waiting on her bed, trying his best not to laugh at the dreamy look on his mistress' face.

"Come on, Ooka, let's go to bed," she practically sighed. He nodded with a large smile and moved aside so she could crawl into bed. She hugged him tightly and slowly drifted off into slumber with a large smile on her face.

* * *

A few yards away from the temple, a young boy with a distant look in his eyes had seen everything that had passed and ran off to inform his master. He had no outstanding features and appeared by all means human. He raced through the woods, weaving in and out of trees in his way and finally stopped by a small cottage in a clearing. Vines had practically overtaken the house but the front door was cleared and smoke was pouring out of the chimney.

The boy opened the door silently and entered. The inside of the house was almost bare; a grand chair sat in front of a empty hearth and a lone table stood near a window. He walked to the center of the room and lifted a chunk of floorboards up. A stone staircase led down into a dark chamber underneath the cottage.

He walked down the stairs and continued down a stone hallway to a rustic wooden door. Two knocks caused it to be opened from inside and he proceeded into a large stone chamber. Inside was a large throne-like chair on a pedestal and a roaring fireplace cast flickering light across the room. The silhouette of the man sitting in the chair danced across the far wall. He glanced to the boy and nodded shortly.

The boy sank to one knee. He spoke monotonously but with respect. "My lord, she and her pet are still at the temple but I have observed something tonight. She and one of her protectors, the fire-demon Hiei, seem to have a relationship of some sort. Perhaps it might be better if we took her lover instead..."

"Iie," a strong, sinister voice commanded. "We must continue with our plans as they are."

"Then we can proceed tonight, my lord. She and her pet are alone in their room and her night guard is nowhere to be found."

"Excellent work, Dorei. Send word to Oonushi immediately. Tonight we shall set our plans to motion. Our little ice princess will soon be no more."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

In the middle of the night, Ryann shivered and rolled over to snuggle up to Ookami only to discover her bed was empty. She blinked sleepily and looked around her room. As she became more awake she realized there was an echo of demon energy still in her room. She didn't recognize it.

"Ookami!" she called to the darkness. No response. She quickly got out of bed and began to get dressed. **Maybe he's just outside or in some other part of the house. **But she couldn't sense him anywhere in the temple or on its grounds. As she pulled on her shirt, her forearm began to sting. She yelped and examined a scratch from her elbow to the middle of her forearm. It went through the bandages and was bleeding slightly. It was fresh.

She narrowed her eyes, which began to glow more intensely with every passing moment. She was surrounded by her blue fog and turned into her full demon form, five feet tall at the shoulders, seven pure white tails with the hair puffed out, and a vicious snarl on her lips. She bound straight for the closed window and crashed through it, disappearing into the woods after her companion's energy trail.

* * *

The sound of glass breaking resounded through the temple and the woods but Hiei was too preoccupied to notice it. He had his katana out and his cloak off and was slashing through the surrounding trees in frustration.

**What is it about this girl?** He kept asking himself to no reply. The former thief, the blood-thirsty fire demon, the Forbidden Child should NOT be getting attached to some teenage ice demoness he was being forced to protect. And yet in the past few days he'd been showing the ultimate weakness by getting spending time with the girl, getting to know her and becoming close to her. Feeling things around her.

He lashed out and sliced through the thick trunk of the closest standing tree. Within the second he chopped it midair into tiny pieces. With a growl he resheathed his sword and looked around at the clearing he'd made in his irritation. He'd made a circle about fifty yards long and was surrounded by little chunks of wood and leaves. The therapy wasn't working as it usually did so he decided to return to the temple.

On his way back he started to notice the energy of an unknown demon. Thinking it might be someone after Ryann he raced back to the temple. He first noticed the smell of blood on the air. It was Ryann's. As he arrived he saw glass around Ryann's window and everyone in the temple was in her room except her and Ookami. He swiftly jumped through the window and was approached by Kurama.

"Hiei!" he said urgently. "Ryann and Ookami are gone!"

* * *

As good a spot as any to end the chapter I think, ne? Heh, I do so love ending in the middle of action. Next chapter will be up in a week or two. Don't forget to review and visit the blog!! 


	18. Chapter 18

Hi guys!! I've been away for so long it seems, but here I am and I'm ready to write the next chapter! I'm in an oddly good mood right now... Not quite sure why. It might be because of the amazing display of fan support from the Bulldog Nation for taking part in the Blackout in the Georgia-Auburn game!!! IT WAS AWESOME! Omg, Matthew Stafford looked so sexy in his black uniform. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, bonus points!!! I'll fawn over him on my own time, though. On with the story!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own YuYu Hakusho. Nope, don't. Anything that doesn't seem to be part of the YYH storyline is most likely mine though. Yeah...

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Those five words hit him hard. He was their guard. It was his job to protect them, and he hadn't even been there when they went missing. His eyes flickered over to Ryann's bed where a small pool of blood stained the sheets. He sniffed the air and recognized the scent from the crimson spot instantly. It was Ryann's blood.

"Hiei!" Kurama yelled at him. He'd been trying to get the fire demon's attention for a while now but Hiei wasn't responding. He snapped out of his thoughts and glared at the kitsune.

"Why are we all standing around here when they're out there somewhere?" Hiei asked in a deadly calm voice. His eyes pierced everyone in the room and they all shivered. When he received no response flames began surrounding his arms, his legs, and eventually his entire body.

"Calm down, Hiei! We can't just run blindly into the woods after her! If there's any clue to what happened here, we'll find it but this is not the time for you to start acting rashly!"

"Then what is the time, fox? I see the clue you're looking for! There's a puddle of Ryann's blood on her sheets and it's fresh. I felt her's and Ookami's energy in the woods earlier tonight. The imprint of it might still be there!"

"Dumbass."

Everyone stopped to look at Genkai. She was standing calmly by the door, staring straight at the fire demon.

"Your energy flare just covered up any trace of the culprit's in this room. Tell me, where were you when Ryann was taken? If I'm not mistaken you were supposed to be her guard. You abandoned your charge and now you've let your temper get the best of you. That's two stupid mistakes tonight. Care to go for three? Or do you actually want to see Ryann alive again?"

Hiei was at a complete loss for words. Silently, he calmed down and just left the temple. Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Genkai watched him return into the woods in the same direction he'd come from.

Yusuke turned to Genkai. "Damn, you're a heartless old hag, aren't you? Even I feel sorry for Hiei." Kuwabara nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, the shrimp didn't deserve that."

Genkai shrugged nonchalantly. "He was being stupid. Throwing a fit won't get Ryann and Ookami back and he knows it, but he's willing to do it anyway to make him feel better."

Kurama sighed. "Sadly, she's right. I'll go find him later and fill him in but right now we need to start looking for anything that might lead us to Ryann and Ookami."

"Right," Yusuke and Kuwabara chimed. All three began looking through the room while Genkai disappeared from sight.

* * *

Hiei was back in the clearing he'd made, but no longer felt like slicing tree trunks with his katana. It was truly his fault that Ryann and Ookami were taken and she might've gotten hurt again. Now that he was far enough away from the temple, he let his energy loose. Black flames licked the fallen pieces of wood and reduced them to ashes in seconds. Stumps, logs, grass, and even the dirt were scorched by the fury of his fire.

"Are you done?"

Hiei's flames lashed out at the formerly unnoticed presence but Genkai effortlessly dispatched the fire. She scanned the clearing, raising her eyebrow at the piles of ash that used to be the forest around her house. Then she trained her eyes on Hiei.

"What do you plan to do?"

He remained silent. **What is she talking about?**

"I'm neither blind nor senile. I know that Ryann has feelings for you, and I know you return them. Your little show last night was a tell-tale sign. Besides, you didn't catch that when I was addressing you I never mentioned your obligation to protect Ookami as well. So, what do you plan to do to get her back here safely?"

"... I don't know," he conceded quietly.

**Hmm, he admitted defeat.**Genkai thought to herself. **That's one I haven't heard before. **

"Think, Hiei. I knew you were no strategist like Kurama but I never expected you to be acting as reckless as Yusuke. What powers do you have that you could possibly use to find her."

**I have my speed. Iie, that won't help if I don't know where she is... My swordsmanship doesn't help either... **Realization finally dawned on him. **Kuso, I'm an idiot!!**

"Finally. Now that you've remembered you're Hiei Jaganshi, you might need a focus to find her. That I can't help-"

"I have one already." Genkai blinked in surprise. "I need to be alone to concentrate."

She smirked at him and began to leave. "By the way, it may soothe you to know that they actually took Ookami first. Ryann only followed them."

Hiei's energy flared dangerously again and Genkai had to dodge. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that before?!"

"You were too busy throwing a fit. While you made a scene I saw a note on the floor. The kidnapper left it for Ryann but I don't think she saw it. I think she noticed Ookami was gone and just took off. Quite recklessly, might I add. It sounds familiar, ne?"

He growled to himself as Genkai continued walking back to her temple. He reached into the pocket on his cloak and pulled out Ryann's tear gem.**Why I kept this I'll never understand but I'm thankful I did.**He undid the bandanna and sat on the forest floor, his Jagan opening and glowing with power.

It took little time to find Ryann's mind but sending her a message was difficult. She was so fixed on tracking Ookami that nothing was registering with her. Hiei couldn't even tell where she was.

**Ryann!**

Somewhere deep in the woods Ryann almost missed a step. Once she'd resumed her rhythm of running she answered back. **Hiei? Listen, I can't talk right now, I have to get Ookami!**

**Onna, you have to get back here. Don't you realize they're using him as bait to lure you there?! **

**I don't care, Hiei. They have him and I won't rest until he's safe! **

Hiei's aura started flaring again. **Atleast tell me where you are so we can help you! You can't do this on your own!**

**The hell I can't! This is my fight and I'm not about to let you or the others get hurt on my account. Go tell them that I'm alright but don't try to follow me**After sending that message Ryann closed her mind and continued on her way.

"Kuso," he cursed quietly.

He stood and ran as quickly as possible back to the temple to tell the others what he'd learned. In one last attempt he sent a final telepathic message to Ryann.

**Be safe.**

* * *

Ryann smiled slightly at the sentiment but immediately returned her focus to following the train of her companion and his kidnapper. The energy signature was long gone but her nose could easily pick up the memorized scent of her pet.

She weaved in and out of trees for well over an hour, running as fast as her legs would take her. She couldn't let them get away. The culprit would pay very dearly for taking away the only being she had left.

**Iie**she thought to herself. **Genkai's been with me for a few years. And now I have the Spirit Detectives. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and his Yoko... Hiei... I have all of them now. **She smiled at the thought but urged herself to focus on her task.

The scent began growing stronger and Ryann realized that she was closing in on where they were keeping Ookami. A small wooden cabin came into view. It was partially hidden by moss and the surrounding trees but she could make out the front door and noticed there was no plant life growing around it. It had been opened recently.

**I'm coming Ookami.**

* * *

Hiei made it back to the house and found the others still going over every inch of the room for clues. Kurama looked up at him.

"Ryann's alright. The kidnapper took Ookami and Ryann followed."

The three stared at him. "How do you-?" Yusuke started.

"I contacted her with my Jagan eye. She's tracking them somewhere in the forest. I can't tell where she is but she's not injured further."

"That's good news, atleast," Kurama commented. "We've yet to find anything of substance to discover where they're going. Maybe we should check the tree line for any trace of their spirit energy."

And so the Spirit Detectives walked around the edge of the forest. Kurama raised his eyebrow at Hiei when they passed the clearing covered in ashes and scorch marks. He just walked right past it without a single glance.

"Hey guys!" Kuwabara's gruff voice called from a few yards away. "I can kinda sense Ryann's energy going this way."

Kurama, Yusuke, and Hiei rushed over and noticed twigs bent inward, as if something passed through that spot. "I can only sense her energy right in this spot. I've been in further but there's no trace. I think she started hiding her energy after she went in or something."

Kurama sighed. "Well, it's a start. Atleast we know what general direction she went."

**That's not enough! **Hiei fumed to himself. He flashed away before any of the others could say anything more and ran back inside the temple. Genkai was sitting at her table, sipping tea and looking at a piece of paper. **Stupid hag doesn't even care that Ryann's gone!**

He walked right up to the table and looked down at the note.

-We have your precious wolf pet. Your presence is requested at the House of Dorei, exactly 14 miles northeast of Genkai's temple or your poor pet will be disposed of. We hope you decide to come. Sir Dorei-

**She didn't tell anyone of this earlier?! **He darted away from the temple and through the woods before he lost his temper again. Finding Ryann and Ookami as soon as possible was more important than yelling at Genkai right now. He ran as quickly as he could through the forest, paying close attention to direction and any sign that Ryann might've passed through that way.

**I'm coming Ryann.**

* * *

There you go! I've just realized that I'm quite a few chapters in and the major plot is just starting. This will be a really long story!! So many plot twists and more characters soon to be added. More angst, more action, definitely more romance, man this'll take a while to finish. I hope you guys don't mind if it lasts a while, I don't want to condense it. Review please!! Thanks for reading my lovely readers!!!

I think I owe it to those fabulous people that have reviewed to give them shout-outs, ne?:

**SongSiren:**You've been a constant reviewer and you show that you read all of my little notes before and after the chapters. I thank you and your Naruto OC Takira for reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!!

**Hibiki-chan:**Practically every chapter I've posted after you got into it has a review from you and I love it! They've always got little faces in them and an urge to update soon, and it makes me happy to see that people are liking my story!

**SilverRaindropsFall:**I'm always entertained by your reviews, particularly when you get fiesty. So far you've called me a punk and a booger, I can't wait to hear what's next XD!

**Diamonds of the Night: **I love how every few chapters you leave a review that just makes me happy about how my story's going. It's great. Keep reviewing, I love getting them!!

**kidishcaresh:**Thank you for all of your reviews and I'll be sure to call on you and your bazooka Fei if anyone flames me! Thanks for the support, hun!

**Akari Neko-chan: **I'm glad you're liking the story and thanks for reviewing! Keep it up, I'm loving it!

**KismetLovesYYHandDraco:**Thanks for the review and the support! I'd love to hear from you again soon!

**Riley Lily Nikita: **I'm trying to update as much as possible but thanks for pushing me to do so! It's wonderful to hear that people are waiting for my story to update. I try not to go on long breaks because I know how frustrating it is when a story I like isn't updated for a loooong time. Keep reviewing please, it makes me very happy!!

**Hells Twilight: **New reader, I presume? Thank you so much for reviewing!! I'll try to post more often with this story, I've just been having some wicked writer's block on how to start.

**Luca4ever:**I don't know if you even read my story anymore but you were my first review so thanks!!

**TheSoulsDemise:**Again, you never reviewed again so I don't know if you're still a reader. I thank you for the review though!

**FeatherGirl13:**Though you only reviewed once, I appreciate it and if you're still reading I hope you're liking how the story is progressing!

**ROGMethos:**Thanks for wishing me a happy birthday! Really, getting a review is a great present for a writer!

**Ladyblue17:**I'm glad that you love my story and thank you for reviewing!!

**missmelissa:**Melissa, you should know better than doing that! Everyone else, ignore her, she's my sister and she doesn't like anime so her opinion here doesn't matter lol.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!!

And the anonymous reviewers, thank you too, though I have no idea who you are. I think there are three of you and I appreciate the random reviews. They help a lot.


	19. Chapter 19

Heylo loves! It's been a while, ne? I'm so very sorry for the delay but things haven't exactly been slow. But, I managed to write the next chapter, though I don't think I did it justice. I hope you enjoy it and if any of you think it wasn't up to par, message me and I'll rewrite it when I get the time.

**Disclaimer:**'What shall go here?' I sometimes wonder to myself. 'I've pretty much run out of witty or funny things to say the same thing over and over. What now?' And sadly, nobody answers me.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

With a very low growl, Ryann slowly stepped inside the cabin. She scanned the room quickly but noticed nobody was there. Confused and wary, she began sniffing around the cabin for Ookami's scent. One area in the middle of the floor caught her attention and she viciously dug at it with her claws. Underneath was a stone stairway leading underground. 

**That figures, I guess**, Ryann thought to herself as she began descending the stairs. **What villain has just a house somewhere anyway? Oh come on!**

As she reached the end of the stairs she was met with a very long, dark hallway with door after door lining the walls. **Kuso, this will take forever! I can't even smell Ookami anymore! ** Slowly she continued down the hallway. Somewhere in this building, somebody had Ookami and Ryann didn't know if what condition he was in. She wasn't about to give up just because there were a lot of doors.

* * *

Door after door led to room after room of nothing. Nothing. The rooms were dark, had no furniture, and had nobody in them. A few times the doors didn't even have rooms; some just opened to the wall. Ryann, very pissed off, glared at the last door. **I swear if this one is empty too, I'm going to kill somebody.**

She charged through the door and scanned the room. Still no Ookami, but a child was standing at the end of the room by a lit fireplace. This room was decorated in a medieval way and was very ornate. Vines were etched across the walls in the fine stone and grand candelabras hung from the walls. Strangely, though, there was no furniture.

"Welcome to the house of Dorei. I hope you had no trouble finding my home," a small voice greeted. It was low and eerily unemotional. Ryann tensed and glanced around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I am the only one here." The boy turned towards her, his black eyes blending with the darkness. "I am Sir Dorei, as I'm sure you could have gathered. Disregard my appearance, if you would. Finding a decent body is so hard these days." He began walking towards her.

Ryann growled stepped back. Her white fur was bristled and her fangs were bared in warning. **Where is Ookami?** she demanded.

He stopped and laughed. His laugh was hollow and humorless, sending shivers down Ryann's spine. "Is that really proper etiquette?" he inquired. She snapped at the air and continued growling. Dorei didn't even flinch. "He is being held elsewhere."

**Maybe I didn't make myself clear**, Ryann said in a dangerously low voice. Her eyes were glowing and her blue aura was beginning to surround her body. **Where is Ookami?**

"As I said, he is being held elsewhere, deeper underground. Don't worry, he won't be harmed... provided you cooperate."

**What are you talking about?!**

"My Lord Oonushi doesn't care about your little wolf pet. We only took him to get you here, and it worked brilliantly. You see, My Lord Oonushi has taken an interest in you. If you do as he wishes, nothing will happen to your pet."

**Why would this Lord guy be interested in me? And not for one minute do I believe that you would let Ookami just leave! **

The boy smirked. "And I thought you would connect it. I take it that you remember, all those years ago, when your mother died?"

Ryann's eyes widened. Her aura flickered for a moment, then intensified. The floor and walls around her gained a thick layer of ice and the fire in the candelabras went out. The glow from her energy was enough to see by.

"Yes, I see you do remember. Mura Yukiko, stabbed repeatedly and left to die. And your father, too. Yasuo. If I can recall, he was burned to death. Such a pity. But imagine My Lord Oonushi's surprise when he discovered that he hadn't killed the entire family, that there was a Yukiko still alive. And so you see, he wanted to find you. It is my job to take you to him, willingly or otherwise. Will you cooperate, or will your precious wolf be harmed?" he asked her emotionlessly, drawing a sword from his waist.

As each moment passed the deep blue aura grew. The energy crackled across the great cloud that began to obscure Ryann from view. Dorei looked on curiously as the blue fog spread swirled around her. "Interesting," he mumbled to himself.

Ryann leaped out of the energy cloud and landed directly on the boy, pinning him down with her great paws and knocking the sword away. It pierced her shoulder but she paid the wound no heed. Her eyes were no longer blue, nor was her fur pure white. Her glowing orbs were a deep crimson; matching streaks went along her sides. He just looked up at her emotionlessly, her blood dripping on his chest.

"Lord Oonushi, as you call him," Ryann spoke quietly, showing off fangs much larger than before, "has taken the last thing he ever will from me. I will hunt him down and rip his throat out. I would have you deliver the message to him, but I doubt you will leave here alive." She smirked at his silence.

"You seem surprised Lord Dorei. Did your dear Lord Oonushi not tell you that I can speak in wolf form when my power flares? It seems like he doesn't care much for telling you necessary details. Maybe he didn't mention that my demon side can't be controlled when I get pissed off. No wonder he calls you Dorei. It means 'Nobody,' right? It reflects how important you are. And in a moment you will truly be nobody."

"Would you really kill me? I'm inhabiting an innocent child's body," he said calmly. His breathing had accelerated but he was trying to remain calm. She saw right through it.

"Don't worry. I know about your type of power. You take over people's bodies because you don't have your own. But, unfortunately for you, the bodies don't last long because you expel their spirits when you take over. That boy's soul isn't in there with you. Killing you won't harm him at all. Such a pity. For you."

The only emotion to ever cross Dorei's face was intense fear as Ryann's approaching fangs sliced through his skin.

* * *

Hiei finally managed to locate the cottage where Ookami and Ryann were, but couldn't proceed. A giant yellow energy dome was surrounding it and wasn't weakening from being attacks. Time after time Hiei slashed at the energy field with his katana or attacked it with him fire, to no avail. He couldn't sense anything beyond it. 

**Ryann, where the hell are you?! What's going on?! Kuso!**

He helplessly shoved his katana into the ground and sat against nearby tree. His muscles were tense and his eyes never moved away from the door of the house. Whenever Ryann left the house, or if somebody else left, he was going to be ready.

* * *

Now calmer, Ryann carefully walked around the room. Her fur no longer had the red streaks, nor were her eyes glowing red, but her muzzle and front paws were drenched in Dorei's blood. 

**Come on! Something here has to lead to wherever Ookami is being held! **She thought, frustrated. As she passed the fireplace her tail accidentally swung into the flames. Surprisingly, she didn't get burned. The fur wasn't even singed. She looked through the fire and saw another hallway beyond it.

She leaped through the fireplace and landed in another stone hallway. There were no doors but it opened up into a chamber. Ryann could clearly sense and smell Ookami now. She took off down the hallway towards her companion.

While running, one of her paws hit a particular stone and pushed it down. Little darts were shot from both sides, hitting her shoulders and hindquarters. She yelped in pain but continued running. Three more stone floor tiles were triggers for the little darts but Ryann refused to stop just because of a few flesh wounds.

Finally she reached the end of the chamber. Slumped against a wall was an unconscious Ookami. Fearing the worst, she ran over to him as quickly as possible. She sighed in relief when his chest rose and fell. **Oh thank Kami...** Carefully, she maneuvered him onto her back and ran back down the hallway. Thankfully there were no more little traps.

**Hold on Ookami, we'll be home soon. **Ryann thought as she made her way back through the hearth and down the hall. When she tried going up the stairs, though, she yelped in pain. Every place one of the darts entered began searing with pain.

**Kuso! Poisoned darts? I should have guessed. Oh no... **She glanced over her shoulder and saw a lone dart sticking out of Ookami's shoulder. She didn't know how long he'd had it but hoped it wasn't too late. **Those bastards! Come on Ookami, just hold on! **

Ignoring the pain, Ryann climbed the stairs as quickly as possible. Her limbs were beginning to ache and her hind legs gave out twice. By the time she reached the top her entire body was shaking from pain and fatigue. With her last bit of effort, Ryann stumbled out of the cottage and collapsed on the ground. Before she blacked out she saw a black figure jump up and run towards her.

**Hiei...**

* * *

Hiei sprang to his feet when he saw something leave the cabin. The energy field disappeared and he realized Ryann and Ookami were lying on the ground, Ryann back in her human form. He ran over to them and looked over them. Ryann was covered in red darts and Ookami had one sticking out of his shoulder. He carefully pulled one out and examined it. 

**God damn it!! They were all poisoned! **His eyes widened in horror. He quickly got Ookami onto his back and scooped Ryann into his arms bridal style. With every ounce of his power, Hiei ran back to the temple. **Don't you dare give up Ryann! I swear to Kami that if you die, I'll kill you!**

* * *

Further away, a lone figure sat contently in the shadows of his room. Before him lie an orb reflecting all that had passed at the cabin, miles and miles away. The man chuckled to himself. 

"She passed the first test quite nicely. I don't even think the poison will slow her down for too long. Excellent, a challenge."

He rose from his chair and exited his room. He walked down a grand wooden staircase and into a vast dining hall. Though very grandeur, the room was dimly lit and shadows danced across the walls as the candle flames flickered. The man advanced to the head of the table and sat to the right of his lord.

"What news, Akusai?" a deep voice questioned.

"As we thought, Ryann easily defeated Dorei. She retrieved her pet and is now recuperating at Genkai's temple. She should be completely healed in a week but I've been told she won't return to the temple for a month or so. I will take her then and bring her to you."

"Don't underestimate her, brother. Dorei did. Do you wish to share his fate?"

"Iie, My Lord Oonushi. I will take heed but I won't fail. You will be reunited with the ice princess soon."

"Very good, Akusai."

* * *

Whew! This took a while to write. I had an idea as to what I wanted to happen but when it came to writing it, I couldn't find the right words! But haha, I did it! Tell me what you think!! Review please, and thanks for reading! 

Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter:

**Songsiren:**Aww, I'm sorry your review was deleted. I really want to know what it said now though! I guess that's the best greeting I'll get from Takira then, huh? I'll take it! Heh, thanks for reviewing again and I hope you like this chapter!

**SilverRaindropsFall:**Yeah, I thought the end of my story would be a good place to address my reviewers. So now I'm a goose? That's cool, I'll be a goose then! XD Thanks for reviewing!

**Hibiki-chan:** -hugs back- And I enjoy seeing the faces! I'm really trying to update more often so... Hopefully things will calm down soon. Christmas break is coming up in a few weeks so I might be able to update more often! Who knows?

**Diamonds of the Night: **I know! I'm finally getting into the action and I'm LOVING it! I've been waiting for this for a while and finally after all of the other chapters things are getting intense! I'm only worried about not being able to do the action justice because this is my first story. I guess I'm doing alright since nobody has told me otherwise but still... Anyway, thanks for the review and keep reading!!

**Akari Neko-chan: **-watches happy dance in amusement- That excited, huh? As I told Hibiki-chan, I might do a bigger update in a few weeks since I have so much time off. Until then I hope to be able to update regularly. Thank you so much for the review!!

**TheAngelFromYourNightmares: **You're not insane or obsessed just because you like my story XD I'm happy that you're enjoying it, though. Thanks for the message! POWER TO THE OCD PEOPLE!!

**fresh air9: **Hi! I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated recently, I've been sick a lot lately and am really behind in school so I just haven't had the time or energy to write. I'm really hoping to change that soon, though. Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like my story, and keep reading!

**nautikitti:** I know, right? I thought it was cute, and it fits with the progressing romance. Thanks for the review and I hope you keep reading!


	20. Chapter 20

Hello my loverly and patient readers! Gomennasai!! I'm oh so very sorry about making you guys wait this long for the next chapter. Stress, hecticness, all that jazz. What matters is that I'm here and writing! And hopefully my muse won't mind me overworking her for the moment, cause I have a few more chapters to write by tomorrow. Let's not waste time and precious inspiration, ne?

**Disclaimer:**I wonder if by chapter 20 you guys get the general idea here. If not, I worry about you using a computer. Seriously.

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

**Ryann... Come on Ryann, it's time to wake up. Everyone's been really worried about you... **Ryann groaned at the voice in her head and slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry at first, but her vision cleared soon enough. Ookami was sitting on her stomach in his pup form and was watching her carefully. She smiled softly at him.

"Hey, pup. How's it going?" she said weakly. Immediately after she wished she hadn't as she was thrown into a rough coughing fit.

Ookami watched her sadly and pointed his nose to a glass of water sitting on the table by the bed. She nodded and grabbed it with a bandaged hand, slowly sipping its contents to soothe her throat.

**You've been unconscious for three days. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara are all at school right now, and Hiei and Genkai are wandering the temple somewhere. Kurama had to lock your door and windows.**

She finished the glass and cleared her throat gently before pushing herself into a sitting position.

**Why?**

**Because Hiei kept coming in and yelling at you to... how did he put it? 'Wake the hell up' so he can 'kill you himself before you almost die again.' Something like that. **

Ryann smirked slightly and yawned. **So he was the one I heard. In the middle of a dream I had about a mountain spring somewhere I started hearing death threats. Makes sense, I guess.**

Someone knocked on the door and Ookami jumped down and walked over to the door. He sniffed the space between the door and the floor.

**It's alright. It's only Genkai. Come in Genkai! **he called to the psychic. She calmly walked into the room and stood by Ryann's bed.

"Hey Baba-sensei," Ryann rasped out painfully. Genkai looked at her for a second before slamming her fist into Ryann's temple.

Ryann nearly fell out of the bed and held her temple tenderly, whimpering.**What was that for?!?**

"For being a dumbass! You should've known better than to go off alone! What the hell do you think the Spirit Detectives are protecting you for if you run off without them?!"

**Whoa, Baba is scary when she's angry. **Ryann thought, still nursing her poor head.

"Are you listening, Ryann!" Genkai scolded. Ryann stared at her wide-eyed. **She hasn't called me that in a very long time. **

"Domo sumimasen (AN: I'm very sorry) Genkai-sensei. I only wanted to save Ookami before something happened to him," she managed to say without her voice giving out. Genkai sighed and her eyes softened.

"Get well as soon as possible, Ry-chan. Koenma will be coming to talk to you soon. And look out for Hiei, he's on a rampage." She smirked when she said the last part and left... without locking the door again.

**Could you watch the door for a while, Ooka? I'm going to try to sleep a little longer before Koenma gets here. **

**Sure.**He changed into his larger form and walked over to sit by the door. Ryann noticed him limping slightly and remembered that he got a poisoned dart to the shoulder.

**I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner Ookami.**

**You came. That's what matters. Now go to sleep.**

She smiled sadly to herself and fell back asleep in seconds.

* * *

Ryann was trying to sleep but was vaguely aware of something poking her face. She groaned and tried to move away from it. Eventually it must've gotten bored and it started pulling at her eyelids. Koenma's face came into view through one of her forced-open eyelids.

"Go away toddler, let me sleeeeeep...," she groaned.

**Get up onna,** a deadly calm voice said to her in her head. She squeaked and sprang into a sitting position, snapping her eyes open. Koenma yelped and fell over the side of the bed but Ryann's eyes were locked on Hiei's. They said so much, but Ryann couldn't read them. She knew he was mad, and she tentatively guessed he was worried, but what else could he be feeling?

"Good, you're finally awake. That took longer than I anticipated. Now, to business," Koenma said professionally while trying to maneuver his little body back onto the bed. Ryann snorted in amusement at him. Once he'd situated himself, he looked at Ryann seriously.

"I need to know everything that happened three nights ago."

Ryann's mind flickered to the late evening when she'd been outside with Hiei, but she shook that thought away and thought about later that night. Hiei, who had been inside her mind, didn't forget it so easily.

"I woke up some time around midnight and I noticed Ookami wasn't in the room with me. I tried to sense him but he wasn't on the temple grounds either. I changed into my full demon form and chased after his energy signature into the woods. I followed it to a cabin a few kilometers from here. Under the floor was some kind of stone maze filled with doors. In the last door was a chamber and a little boy was in there. Dorei, the demon, took a local boy's body over. Anyway, he told me that they only too Ookami to lure me there and that some demon named Oonushi was behind it. He... wants me for some reason. Oonushi killed my parents and now he's after me. I killed him with my teeth and I found Ookami in another chamber. When I started running out poison darts started flying out of the walls. I got hit a few times but I got out. I blacked out after that..." Her voice was dull and emotionless.

**I won't let anyone get to you again, Ookami. I promise.**

**And what about yourself? **Ryann's head snapped up to Hiei, who was glaring at her. She blinked and narrowed her eyes at him.

**Whatever it takes to keep Ookami safe, I'll do. Whatever it takes to keep my friends safe, I'll do. **Her eyes softened. **Whatever it takes to keep you safe, too, I'll do. No questions.**

"I see," Koenma said quietly. She broke the connection with Hiei and turned to the little prince. Koenma turned around and looked at Hiei. "Where were you when this happened?"

Hiei looked down. "I was in the forest."

"Why?"

"Hn. Training."

"Koenma," Ryann said softly. "It's not his fault so don't blame him."

"Very well," he conceded. "Next time be alert, Hiei."

Ryann look at Hiei for a second, then looked down. "Koenma, can I talk to you alone for a second?"

He nodded and looked over at Hiei and Ookami. They both began to leave.

"Ookami can stay. This involves him, too."

He turned around and limped over to his mistress' side while Hiei looked back once and continued out. Ryann's eyes began glowing and the walls were covered in a dull blue glitter. Koenma looked confused.

"Just making sure Hiei doesn't try to listen in physically or psychically."

"So, what can I do for you, Ryann?"

"Well, Koenma, I want..."

* * *

It was near nightfall and Ryann had managed to pull herself out of bed and make her way up to the roof. She sat quietly and watched the sun go down over the horizon, coloring the sky beautiful shades of purple, orange, and pink. **I hope I've made the right choice.**

**Depends, which choice are you talking about?** an angry voice said in her mind.

She sighed. **Hello, Hiei. What brings you to my temple of madness this evening?**

He walked to where she was sitting and stood near her. He watched her eyes dance over the sunset. She finally closed her eyes for a moment and looked up at him. That's when he exploded.

"What in the name of KAMI were you thinking going off alone?! Do you even realize that you're lucky to be alive right now?! If you're going to be running off like that without even telling anyone then what the hell am I doing here?!?!"

Ryann watched him rant, watched the fury and passion in his eyes swell as he continued to yell at her. She didn't hear anything he was saying to her; everything she was 'hearing' came from his eyes. She smiled a small, sad smile and stood.

Hiei didn't notice she wasn't listening, nor did he notice that she got up and was walking to him until she was right in front of him. "Hiei?"

"What, onna?" he asked sharply.

"Do you have your katana with you right now?"

"Iie, why?"

She smiled and quickly embraced him before he could get away. "Thank you for watching over Ookami and me for the past week. And thank you for coming for us a few days ago. Domo arigatou gozaimasu for everything," she whispered with feeling in his ear.

Hiei was frozen. As usual when he was around this girl, his mind wasn't working at all. A dull blush spread across his face and he hardly registered what she'd said to him. Before he could do anything, she withdrew and was walking away.

Ryann stopped on her way back to her room. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sky. **Should I...? **A raindrop hit her cheek and she smiled to herself. **Okay. If he kills me, I'm blaming you guys up there.**

She turned around and ran back over to Hiei. Again, before he could react, she leaned forward and placed her lips gently on his. The kiss was gentle and sweet, but Ryann poured her heart into the simple gesture. She pulled away and bowed her head so Hiei couldn't see her eyes. "Sayonara, Hiei."

And with that, she left Hiei alone on the roof. Drops of rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier, and Hiei was slowly processing everything that had just happened.

* * *

The next morning, before Hiei had woken, Ryann made sure everything was packed and she quietly left her room and made her way to the front of the temple. There stood Genkai, Koenma, Ookami, and a familiar boy with blue hair, turquoise bangs, and bright blue eyes.

"Ohayo Ryann. It's been a while, hasn't it?" the boy asked her with a sincere smile on his face.

"Ohayo gozaimasu. Too long. I hope this isn't too sudden? I can go elsewhere if you object."

"No, it's fine. Come on, we better go before anyone notices. Sayonara Genkai-sensei, Koenma-sama." He bowed to them both and walked quickly down the steps with Ryann and Ookami following. Ryann looked back at the temple sadly.

**It's for the best, right?** Ookami asked her.

**Yes, Ooka. **

She sighed to herself and gave one last glance to the temple. **Goodbye Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara. Goodbye Hiei. **

"Ryann, come on!" the boy called back to her. She realized that she stopped walking and turned back to him and her pet and companion.

"Gomen. Coming Touya!"

* * *

Pshoo. That was interesting to write. So sad, I know. All part of the plot, though. Review, give love, read more, all that jazz. Until next chapter my loves! You know, it's a pity to waste such a good cliffhanger since I should be writing the next one immediately after this but I think it'll work. Much love, readers!!

Domo arigatou gozaimasu to my lovely reviewer people! I love you guys so much!!

**SilverRaindropsFall:** I've yet to get the chance, but I'd be happy to go read your stories on Quizilla. Once upon a time I wrote on there, but I stopped. My story was horribly written and nobody read it so yeah. Now I only read stuff there. Aww, I'm still a goose? Can I atleast be a penguin lol? Penguins are awesome. I'm glad my story is meeting your approval, it's very important to me! And I mean that in a sincere way, fan input is a big thing for me. Keep reviewing, I love it!!

**Hibiki-chan:** Awesome. That works for me XD. Thanks for the review!!

**SongSiren:**You know, I've never read Blood and Chocolate. I know the basic idea though so yeah, that sounds like it would have a cool effect. I'll have to read it soon, though, it sounds really interesting. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Riley Lily Nikita: **Glad you loved it! I hope you like this chapter too, despite it's sadness. I updated so now you gotta review like you said!! Thanks for reading!!

**TheAngelFromYourNightmares:** I'm writing them as soon as I can find time. Sorry for the big delay. And you may be insane. Iunno, I don't know you too well. I'm insane too, though, so power to people like us! BYE BYE!! And thank you muchly for reviewing!!

**Diamonds of the Night:** Thanks for the advice, I'll work on it! I wouldn't go as far to say my story is one of the best, I personally don't think it's that great... maybe that's how some writers see their story. Iunno. But thanks anyway!

**Yoli16:**Aww, you're so nice!! It makes me very happy that you're enjoying my story and I hope it stays that way. Thanks for reviewing twice, even though you didn't really have to. Whenever you find the word you're looking for to describe my story, let me know!!

And to those who didn't review, I love you anyway! THANKS EVERYONE!!


	21. Chapter 21

Hello everyone. Do any of you still remember me? I don't blame you if you've forgotten. I'm so sorry for being away. Truly, I am. Life has been... difficult to deal with for the past few months. But things are getting much better, so hopefully my stories can resume where I left off. It may take a few chapters to get back into the flow again but please be patient. So, let's get on with it, shall we? Oh, and this chapter is entirely in Hiei's POV.

**Disclaimer:** No matter how much I wish it to be, I will never own YYH. I'll only ever own the DVDs. Oh well...

"Speech" ; **Thoughts** ; _Actions_

* * *

Booming thunder shook the entire temple that morning, efficiently waking the lost fire demon. He glared out his window at the dark grey sky and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He barely managed to get to sleep the previous night; if he wasn't using his Jagan to check on Ryann, he was thinking about the previous night on the roof. The entire scene kept replaying in his head. Something about it all seemed... strange. 

First, Ryann was thinking about making some choice. What was it? Was that what she was talking to Koenma about? Why wouldn't she let him know about it? Second, she hugged and... kissed him. Hiei refused to spend time much thinking about that. But the real thing that seemed off to him was the last thing she said before she went to her room.

"**Sayonara, Hiei." **

She said goodbye. But the entire night, he felt her spirit energy in her room. It wasn't moving much, and it seemed as though she was sleeping. Hiei couldn't understand.

Then a thought hit him. He quickly sat up and pulled the bandanna off of his head. He checked her room. It was empty. He checked the kitchen. She wasn't there. Room by room he scanned for Ryann's or Ookami's spiritual signature. Nothing.

**Chikushou (A/N: Damn it), not again!**

He sprang from bed and bolted through his door to the kitchen. Genkai was sitting calmly at her tea table, drinking from her cup. She seemed to do that often.

"Where's Ryann?!" Hiei demanded. **Did something happen after I fell asleep? Is she in danger again?**

Genkai paused and looked up at the fire demon. She watched him fume as she hesitated from answering. Finally, she looked back down at her table. "Ryann left this morning."

"... Left?" Hiei echoed incredulously. "Where the hell did she go?"

"I can't say."

Genkai jumped out of the way and stood calmly on the other side of her now destroyed table. Hiei's arm was glowing black and there was a deadly look in his eyes. "Mind explaining to me why you can't say?" he asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"Ryann told me not to."

The flame died instantly. **Nani? Why would she do that? What's going on here?!**

"You're relieved of your assignment, Hiei. She's no longer under your protection. Be happy, you got the 'stupid onna' off of your back." Genkai stated without emotion and walked to another room in the temple silently.

Hiei remained frozen. It didn't make sense to him. None of it. So many questions were racing around his mind and none of them had answers. Two questions were nagging him, though. **Why did she leave? Wherever she is, is she safe?**

Desperate for answers, Hiei went to Ryann's room. Maybe there was some clue there. He opened her door and scanned the room. It looked so... empty. The last time he'd been in there, books were all over the desk, clothes and sheets were on the floor, random things were hanging from the walls. Now, everything was gone. The bed was even made. The only hint that she'd stayed in the room was her scent.

Hiei walked to the desk and began searching the drawers. Empty. Empty. Empty. Empty. Not a single thing was anywhere. He walked to her closet. Not a single piece of clothing was left. He looked through everything in the room that might have something she could've left behind, but came up empty. It was like she had never been there.

He left the room and walked out of the temple to the forest. Rain was still pouring from the sky with an occasional streak of lightening striking in the distance. His feet took him down a familiar path and he found himself looking at a clearing full of singed stumps and ashes. He watched the rain mix the ash and dirt into mud. The scorch marks were being washed away from the grass and trees nearby.

**Everything is disappearing with the rain. **

* * *

Later that afternoon, Kurama arrived at the temple with a small package under his arm and an umbrella over his head. The downpour had yet to stop. He ran quickly up the temple steps and into the dining room, looking for Genkai. She wasn't there. 

**Where could she have gone to?** he asked himself. He gave it a bit of thought before a loud beeping noise broke his concentration. He smirked to himself and shook his head. **Of course.** He went down one of the many hallways and came to a rather large room. Inside were rows upon rows of different arcade games. Genkai was sitting in the middle. It seemed she was playing a game similar to Pac-Man.

"Sumimasen, Genkai, but have you seen Hiei around? I found something addressed to him at my house."

Genkai took a drag from her cigarette and turned her sharp pink eyes to the redhead. "He's been sulking in the forest all day."

"Sulking...?" Kurama asked, confused.

"Hai, he found out that Ryann left the hard way. Seems like she didn't tell him like she did all of us. A little after he woke up he ran into the forest and he hasn't been back since."

Kurama looked down sadly. Evidently Hiei wasn't taking it very well. "You don't think he would-"

"Iie, he's not going after her. He doesn't know where she is. She made sure to block her mind to him before she left, and she covered up her energy."

"Why would she do that if she told us where she'd be?"

Genkai looked at him blankly. "Baka. She did it to stop Hiei. He wouldn't act reasonably if he found out that she went to stay with Touya instead of staying here with him to watch over her."

Kurama smiled to himself and bowed to Genkai. "Arigatou, Genkai. I'll just go give this to Hiei and get back home. Ja ne!"

As he was leaving, Genkai yelled back, "Tell Hiei to stop destroying my forest!"

* * *

"Hiei?" a tentative voice called from below him. Hiei was sitting up in one of the unburned trees, taking refuge from the rain under some branches. He'd been there for four and a half hours, just watching the rain fall. **I have nothing better to do, anyway. **He didn't bother looking down; he knew instantly when Kurama arrived at the temple. 

"What, fox?" he snapped.

"I have something for you."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is, I don't want it."

"... It's from Ryann."

His eyes widened slightly and he looked down at Kurama. Sure enough, a small box about the size of his fist was resting under his arm. Hiei could make out his name on the box. He hesitated for a second before jumping down in front of Kurama.

He took the package and held it loosely. Then his eyes flickered up to Kurama's. "You knew she was leaving, didn't you?" Kurama looked away and Hiei got his answer. "Who else knew?" Again, Kurama couldn't look at him.

Hiei growled to himself and hopped back up into his tree. Kurama looked up at him once before leaving. Hiei watched him leave before turning his eyes to the box. **What the hell could this be?** he thought. He opened the box, which seemed to contain only a piece of folded paper. It was a letter.

**_Hiei,_**

_**I know you're probably mad at me right now, but you have to understand why I left. I feel like something is about to happen, and whatever it is, it doesn't concern you or any of the other Spirit Detectives. This is between me and my parents' murderer. It would be useless to drag you guys into this as well. If I had it my way, Ookami would be safe with Genkai and I'd be living by myself somewhere, training for battle. I don't want anyone to get hurt in this if I can avoid it. That's why I didn't tell you anything. I don't think you'd actually care about me getting hurt, but I know that your sense of honor would make you interfere if you believe I'm still under your protection. The only way I knew of to keep you out of this was to keep you in the dark. I'm so sorry for doing this. **_

**_Genkai, Kurama, and the others know where I am in case of emergencies, so if I'm needed, I can help out. Please don't do anything to them, all of this was my idea. I'll be checking in with Genkai every week to assure that I'm safe. When my training is done, I'm going after this "Oonushi." Until then, I have to stay hidden. I think he knows that I care for you and __the other Detectives, so please be careful. He took Ookami as a lure, it isn't beneath him to take someone else as well. Please be safe, and don't do anything stupid._**

_**Believe me when I say that I don't doubt your abilities. I honestly think that you could protect me if it came to that, and I know that you can evade being captured if they were after you. I'm just asking for my own peace of mind that you listen to me.**_

_**I'm sorry for... what I did last night. I'm not going to pretend that I regret kissing you, but I doubt that you would have wanted me to do so. If that was the last time I'll see you, I wanted you to know how I felt about you. I knew you for about two weeks, and I couldn't have been happier. I enjoyed your company at my house, and I appreciate your dedication to the mission. Thank you for coming after Ookami and me. I owe a lot to you. Please be safe.**_

_**Ryann**_

_**P.S. I made a tear gem last night, and I put it in the box. It's for you. If you don't want it, please bury it somewhere. I don't need anyone else looking at my memories.**_

Hiei read over the letter a few times, taking in every word. His anger began to flare. Who was she to think that he couldn't handle himself? And the arrogance to believe that he might've come after her. **She's not my problem anymore!** His hands caught on fire, burning her letter. The still-falling rain washed the ashed away. He looked into the box and sure enough, a small tear gem was sitting in the bottom. A thin wire was fastened through a hole in it, forming a sort of necklace. Hiei pulled it out of the box and stared at it.

With all of the strength he had, he threw the gem as far away as possible. It soared up into the air through the trees and landed somewhere in the distance. Hiei glared at the box, setting it on fire as well, and jumped through the trees back to the temple.

**If she wants to disappear, fine. Let the rain wash away all traces of her. It'll be as if she was never here. **With this last thought, he stomped into the temple and into his room, not caring about the puddles of water he was tracking down the halls.**She's not my problem anymore. **he kept repeating to himself. **So I'll just forget.**

* * *

I don't think this chapter was very good, but I tried my best. It may take a few chapters to get back into writing. It's been a while. For now, though, this will do. I'm sorry that my stories were on hiatus for two months; I'll try my best to not let that happen again. I still know where my story is going, so don't worry about that. Thanks for reading! 

To the great reviewers that are so amazing! I swear, you guys, you make writing so much more satisfying:

**Rebel Reader Bitch: **I'm sooo sorry for taking so long to update. I hope you'll still follow the story. I know some of my readers may have forgotten the plot line by now. I feel so bad for taking so long. Thank you for reading and reviewing, though. I really appreciate it!

**KismetLovesYYHandDraco:** Yep, Touya'll have a part now. Though he won't be a main character. He does have a purpose, though. I apologize for the wait on this chapter! I'll definitely be updating more often now, though. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**SilverRaindropsFall:** "Sweet-snow-loving-cretin"? That works for me XD. I'm back! Did you miss me? I guess a better question would be, do you remember me, ne? Yeah, I brought Touya into the story. I'll try to keep you guessing! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading. Please keep reading!!

**SongSiren:** Thank you for messaging me, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to get writing again. I'll try my hardest not to do that again. I apologize, too, if you've forgotten the story line. I can write a summary for you up to this point if you'd like, to refresh your memory. Thank you for being a constant reviewer, and for sending me the message.

**Hibiki-chan:** I tried to make it sweet, without being too fluffy, you know? I wanted it to be a sad moment. Yeah, she left. But, as you can read up there, she had her reasons. I'm sorry for the delay, and I hope you'll still read my story. I enjoy your reviews!

**Hells Twilight:** Yay for Touya! I like him. He has his uses. Thanks for reviewing, please keep reading, and I'm sorry about my hiatus!

**Diamonds of the Night: **Please forgive my absence!! I'm back now, so the story will continue like before. I know it was a sad chapter, the story isn't exactly a happy one throughout. I still think my story isn't that great, but I'm working on it. Particularly since I haven't been writing recently. I think I got rusty. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope to hear from you soon!

**TheSorrowfulVampress:**I love Touya too, but this is a Hiei fic. Sorry. He'll be in it more in the next few chapters, though. Yeah, he'd be a cute boyfriend for Yukina. Never really thought about it, though. Ice and ice. Cool. Sure, I'd love to read your stories. As soon as I can, I'll read and review. It may take a few days though. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Thank you guys so much for reading! Until next time, ja ne!!


	22. Chapter 22

I cannot say how incredibly sorry I am that it took me so long to update this story. Seriously, I thought I would be back to updating a long time before this. So much has been going on, though, and I've hardly had time to do anything. Now, though, I'm going to give it another try. I still know the story line and I still have my notes, so I should be able to pick my stories back up easily enough.

**Disclaimer**: Yeah, you get the drill.

**START**

**10, 9, 8, 7...**

Ryann stood still, her muscles twitching with anticipation and her eyes flickering back to a fluorescent timer on a nearby wall. Before her was a vicious obstacle course taunting her to overcome it.

**6, 5, 4...**

A thud from the next room made her jolt forward slightly before withdrawing back to her mark. The numbers on the wall were counting down so slowly, it was almost painful.

**3, 2...**

As soon as the whistle sounded Ryann was off. She dashed through webs of vines, not missing a beat as she slipped under and around each and every one. The first stage was clearing in seconds, but the second was not so easy. Vines that looked as if they hung still started lashing out, biting and stinging whatever got close. Again, Ryann made it look like child's play as she viciously swept at them with the razor claws on her left hand. Only two managed wounds on her shoulder by the end of that course.

Next would not be so nice. The floor dropped away, leaving slick ice pillars to jump across. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Touya's turquoise hair flutter as he fired ice shards at her. She slipped several times, catching one shard under her right eye and three near her ankles. Touya was calling taunts to her, calling her worthless as she stumbled to regain her footing and cross the trench. Just for the hell of it she sent one of her own shards to him, but he easily batted it down.

Finally she reached the last but longest section. Now boxed in, darts from holes in the walls started shooting as her feet hit pressure sensors on the floor. She dipped and swirled, back stepping three times to avoid the nasty points she knew were tipped with something unpleasant. Memories of being in the same situation when she went for Ookami flashed through her mind, but she pushed them aside and continued on. Her loss of focus made her misstep and be hit by a dart on her right collarbone. She cursed to herself and continued down the seemingly-endless passageway.

She slammed her hand down on a buzzer at the end of the hallway and slumped to the floor, checking her ankles and wiping away the blood pumping profusely from the little wounds. Touya walked over to her with bandages and ointment with a smirk.

"Not bad. You beat your record, but you're still not as quick as I am." He knelt and started wrapping one of her ankles. She sent him a vicious glare before clenching her right wrist.

"You know I could do better if I'd stop getting hurt! How well would you do if your wrist was sprained? Atleast that damn dart had an anesthetic in it. Beats getting a needle."

"Oh suck it up, I can't shoot darts at you every time you hurt yourself." He rolled his eyes and taped the wrapping down. "That was your fault, anyway. I told you not to block barehanded."

She scoffed. "It might as well have been your fault. You were taunting me, saying I wasn't strong enough to block your swing without padding. You know I don't take well to taunts."

"That's why I said it, baka! It's part of training to teach you to not give in to talk. You don't keep composure. That's why it's always me sparring with you and not Jin."

Ryann shuddered in disgust at the mention of that weirdo. "Why do you think I never learn if you say stuff like that? I don't want to spar with him, he annoys the hell out of me," she whined. "How can that boy be so damn hyper at all hours? I don't want to see him wiggle his ears at 5 in the morning!"

Touya chuckled and started wrapping her shoulder wound. A nearby door opened and Ookami walked in, stumbling slightly and baring his teeth at the little boy by his side.

**I'm going to murder this thing. It'll only take one bite.**

Ryann laughed and motioned for Ookami to come lay by her. She noticed a welt on his hindquarters and he was hesitant about putting pressure on his left rear foot. **Poor thing. Did he get you on the cross-jump again?**

**No! I thought we were done because I heard your whistle and when I started walking away he sent those demon yo-yos at me! I'm lucky I only got hit once.**

"Rinku, be nice to my baby you little brat! Those things hurt!" She swiped one of her tails under his feet to trip him, but he rebounded and landed on his hands.

"Watch it, Lady, I still got my yo-yos with me!" he taunted, sticking out his tongue. She bared her fangs at him and he quickly hid behind Touya.

"That's right, you're all afraid when the drunk isn't here."

_THUNK!_

"**Sigh** Speak of the devil..."

The door and its frame was completely broken off and in stumbled Chu, drunk as a skunk and waving something in his hand wildly. He hiccuped, burped, and tripped over his own foot. Ryann and Touya both palmed their faces and sighed at the drunkard.

"Gots a letter," he managed to mumble, his face on the floor.

"Oooh, who's the letter for?" Rinku asked, bouncing over to his hero.

"The sheila." And he started snoring. Ryann sweatdropped and got to her feet, wincing as her sore muscles whined with the effort. She picked up the letter before Chu drooled on it and opened it.

"Ah, it's my weekly report from Genkai."

_Ry-chan,_

_I don't know why you make me write these stupid letters every week. Nothing ever changes with the boneheads. Yusuke and the gang fought another weak demon and saved some artifact, I don't know. Hiei's still hanging around my forest like it's his home, and he's lashing out at anyone that tries to talk him down from his perch. I swear if he destroys one more tree, I'll kick his ass._

_Seriously though, I think it's time you come back to the boys. Something doesn't feel right, and none of us like you being that far away. We just got a letter from one of those people about you. It's on that little sheet of blank paper, read it by flame. _

_You better be learning a lot from those boys or I'll have to kick your ass again. You know I don't take to slacking off. The second you get back we're going to have a spar to see what you've learned. Be prepared._

_ Genkai_

_P.S. Hiei destroyed your room two days ago. If you're coming back to stay, bring a sleeping bag._

**That's great. Hiei's still pissed.** Ryann sighed heavily and put the letter back into its envelope. It'd crossed her mind a lot about how low it was to just leave like that without telling Hiei. She felt bad, but it was for the better... or that's what she'd keep telling herself.

**Atleast your feelings for him have gone away. That's a plus, right?** Ookami chimed in.

She smirked. **I guess. I'm still kicking myself for that. I knew him for what, two weeks? Definitely not long enough for ****anything**** to develop. Oh well, it's in the past. **

"So what's the report on your boyfriend?" Rinku chimed in from his perch on the passed-out Chu's back. Ryann sent him a glare.

"I told you, he isn't my boyfriend. If you ask me that one more time I'll freeze you into a popsicle and feed you to my wolf. Got it?" For emphasis Ookami snapped at the air in Rinku's direction. Rinku became oddly quiet after that.

"What news?" Touya asked. He'd seen the serious look on Ryann's face at mention of a note.

"I don't know yet. Where's a fire demon when you need one?"

Touya rolled his eyes and lit a match. Ryann smiled sweetly at him and held the blank paper over the flame. Words began appearing as the paper heat up. Once the entire message appeared, Ryann cursed and walked swiftly to her room.

"Wait, Ryann!" When she didn't stop he looked down at the note she'd dropped.

_Hiding does no good if you leave parts of yourself out in the open. I'm coming for you, even if I have to get you bit by bit._

Touya ran to catch up with Ryann. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to go see Koenma to make sure nothing has happened yet. There are some people I've got to locate first, then I can plan what to do next." She rounded the corner and entered her room. In a flash she had packed enough for a few days trip somewhere and turned to look at Touya.

"Thank you for helping me, but I think it's about time I go on my own now. Ookami!"

"Ryann, acting irrationally will leave you wide open for something."

She gave Touya a hard stare. "I've got to find them before they do something to someone else connected to me."

He sighed and nodded in understanding. Ookami ran to Ryann's side and they both left the house. Ryann opened a small communicator and called Botan.

"A portal, if you please. I need to speak to the toddler."

The reaper nodded on screen with a happy face and soon a blue vortex appeared in front of the two. Before they took the step forward into it, a voice called out.

"Ryann!"

She turned at saw Touya jogging up to her. He had a pack on his back and a resolute expression on his face. "You can't get rid of me that easily. I signed up for this, so I'm in it till the end."

Ryann shook her head and sighed, a small smile on her face. "God, you're almost as stubborn as Hiei."

"And twice as attractive," he added playfully.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I wouldn't go that far."

With that, the three walked forward into the portal and arrived at Koenma's office. Predictably, Koenma was stamping random papers, paying no attention to what they were requesting.

"Hello, oh greatest one, I most humbly request your assistance," Ryann called sarcastically, dipping into a curtsy. Koenma looked up startled, then back down in disappointment. Ryann scowled. "Don't give me that look, I'm a maiden in distress."

Koenma muttered something to herself but Ryann didn't hear. She'd just sensed the arrival of four very familiar spiritual beings. **Oh shit. **

"You know what, nevermind! I can handle it! BOTAN GET ME A PORTAL OUT OF HERE!" Touya was looking at her confused before he too sensed the others. Ryann swore she saw a smirk on his lips and made a mental note to kill him later.

She quickly dove under Koenma's desk and completely shut her mind and energy. A second later the door burst open and in entered the Spirit Detectives. Yusuke and Kuwabara had bored looks on their faces, yet they seemed slightly proud of accomplishing their latest mission. Kurama looked thoughtful and Hiei wasn't paying attention to anything.

Touya waved to the four, to which three of them looked surprised. They knew he was Ryann's new guard and wondered why he was there. Then Kurama started sniffing the air. His eyes widened.

"Uh oh," Kuwabara mutter stupidly. Hearing Kurama, Hiei began sniffing to, wondering what was so interesting. His face darkened, as did his aura. His body was engulfed in flames and he did not look happy.

"Where is she?" he asked in low, deadly voice. Touya, laughing on the inside at the situation, pointed to the desk. Hiei drew his katana and slashed down the middle of the desk. Ryann jumped out of the way just in time and darted out the door, calling "You're a dead man, Touya!" to her companion. Hiei was quick to follow her, leaving everyone else in the room either stunned or in hysterics.

"What do you think Hiei will do to her?" Kurama asked lightly.

"That depends if he'll make the connection that she's been with me. Either way it doesn't look good for her," Touya responded with a chuckle in his voice.

"That's a shame. Oh well, one less thing to worry about," Koenma commented before returning to his oh-so interesting stamping.

**END**

Is anyone else excited? I am! It's been a very long time. Really. But, it's back! Kinda! I know, I don't expect much. I'm still mad at me for the wait. I'd love a review, but again I don't expect one!

Love me, I have stitches v.v


	23. Chapter 23

Hello loves! I'm trying to update as often as possible with my three posted stories and one unposted story, plus schoolwork and my toe problems. Just for reference, my latest toe surgery was a failure, and I have another appointment next Thursday. Probably another surgery. Yay...

I appologize in advance for a bit more language in this chapter than the others.

**Disclaimer: **Yeah... not mine... ever...

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**Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shi-! **

Ryann ran as fast as her legs would take her, trying to escape the wrath of the furious fire demon behind her. The katana was swinging dangerously close to her tails. **I do NOT need a haircut yet!!** she thought sarcastically and pulled her hair around her shoulders to keep it from his blade. Her once waist-length hair was now half-shoulder blade length. Apparently she'd need one soon.

Ogres with tall stacks of papers were sent flying in every direction as Ryann and Hiei bolted down the hallways. Some documents were salvageable and only a bit crushed, but others were singed by the flames surrounding Hiei's body. **I hope those weren't important.**

A sudden door nearly smacked right into Ryann's face; she only managed to sidestep enough to not fully hit it. The now useless limb dangled from her dislocated shoulder and she grimaced. Today was not her day.

"Hiei, must we act so rash? I was only go- Eep!" She was forced to duck as a random chair was sent flying over her head. Wide-eyed, she turned to see if Hiei had thrown it. Bad idea...

Botan was strolling down the hallways and only had time to say "Oh!" as she was flipped over Ryann's small frame and sent flying. Her oar smacked Ryann's head and made Hiei stumble as it fell to the floor. Taking advantage of his attention shift, she ducked quickly into an open door. He followed immediately.

The room was fairly large, housing only one tidy desk and a wastebasket. No place to hide. Nothing to protect oneself with. Ryann was in trouble, to say the least.

Slowly, Hiei locked the door behind him and eyes her as a predator stalks his prey. Sweat began dripping from Ryann's forehead as she tried to think of a way out without being smaller than a matchbox. His katana glinted menacingly in the light.

"Gomen nasai, Hiei, demo I only left to-" Again her sentence was cut off. She dodged speedily from a swift slice from the threatening katana and it's pissed owner. A stinging pain shot up her left leg. The bandages around her ankle had been cut and a new wound was slowly pumping blood. Something flared in her and she glared at Hiei. Dark blue irises began to glow white and ice formed in her outstretched hands to form her beloved sai. They glittered in response to the challenge of his katana.

She smirked at the minute change in his expression. With a sickening pop she pushed her shoulder back into the socket. "You didn't let me finish. I was going to say sorry for wanting to protect your sorry ass, but if you're going to be ungrateful..." Leisurely, she twirled one around her finger.

"Who said I wanted your protection?" he asked in a very unbecoming, haughty voice. "It's worked _so_ well in the past. That pathetic wolf demon managed to capture you with ease. It's a wonder you're still alive."

The tips of Ryann's sai began to glow lightly and Hiei's sword became encased in flames. "No thanks to you. Some guard you are. One of my enemies slipped into my room completely unnoticed. It's a stroke of luck they didn't decide to just finish me there. And I'm supposed to feel safe in your custody now?" she scoffed. Her comment was below the belt; they both knew it.

As if by agreement both stopped their taunts and took stances. Ryann gripped her sai tightly in a defensive stance as she waited for his attack. Despite her temper, she really didn't want to hurt him. She owed him, contrary to her words.

Fast as lightning Hiei lunged, sweeping his sword down towards her already injured shoulder. Equally as quick she crouched and slid sideways, bringing the hilt of her sai up to his wrist. He noticed and pulled back, letting the hilt hit his blade and chip the ice slightly. Once his feet hit the floor, Hiei turned on his heel and sent a punch to Ryann. She wasn't prepared and was sent flying into the desk, splitting it down the middle.

Hiei began stalking his prey again, flames consuming his entire frame. Once he was close enough, Ryann kicked out with most of her strength and sent half of the desk flying toward him. He jumped to the side and smirked, only to be faced with the other half hurdling through the air at him. Before he could move it smashed into him and sent him flying through the air into the wall.

Ryann smirked to herself and leapt to her feet. She quickly summoned a large sheet of ice and cracked it with her sai. The thousands of shards flew in the same direction as the table. Halfway to Hiei, they were engulfed by black flames. Ryann's eyes widened. **Oh fuck.**

The famed dragon roared and locked onto its target. Like a mad woman, Ryann ran in circles around the room. Her only goal was to avoid that beast's mouth, the doom of many demons.

**What to do, what to do, holy... What should I do?!** she thought frantically. A thought occurred to her and she blanched at what it meant. Either way, she was getting singed before this was over.

Taking a deep breath, Ryann closed her eyes. A bright glow accented her already pale skin. She snapped her eyes open and ran towards the fiery mouth of the Darkness Dragon. Hiei stared at her in frightened confusion. He almost tried to call it back, but Ryann ducked and slid along the floor towards the side wall. Upon contact she bounced off at the same angle and propelled herself at Hiei. At soon as she hit him she latched her arms and legs around his frame, wincing as the intense heat began overpowering her icy defense.

"If I'm going to hell, your getting a one way ticket on the same flight!"

Hiei glanced down at her, then back up at his dragon approaching the two. With a satisfied smirk he held out his right arm and braced himself. Ryann dropped her hold and ducked between his legs.

The dragon, probably unsatisfied about not claiming its victim, seemed very painful for Hiei to send back. Once completed he was kneeling on the floor. Blood was pooling between the two, a mix of the cut on Ryann's ankle and the gashes on Hiei's arm and chest.

"That was a dirty thing to do," Ryann gasped. Hiei's eyes flickered over to her, holding a hint of laughter at her.

"Just testing how much you'd learned. Besides, you still owed me a fight."

Everything clicked. Hiei wasn't really mad at her, the battle was a mix of a test and a promise, and she'd never really been in danger of death. Anger slowly faded into laughter, bubbling in her chest and coming out in exhausted chuckles with her companion.

"Have I ever told you that you're a real prick?" she asked, lurching painfully to her feet only to stumble. Her injured ankle made hard contact with the wall. Without asking, Hiei moved to support her side with his injured arm, ignoring that he was still bleeding, much less on her.

"In your mind, constantly. Out loud, not so much."

"I'll make a note to change that."

The two limped out of the room and shared amused smirks at the damage they'd caused. Ogres were running, or limping, around the disaster zone Ryann and Hiei left in their wake. The floors were littered with papers and ashes. Ryann almost busted into laughter as a green ogre ran by with his hands covering the singed loin cloth across his upper thighs. **That must have hurt.**

Carefully the two weaved their way though the mayhem and slowly limped back into Koenma's office. Surprise crossed most of the faces in the room.

"What?" Ryann asked innocently. "Never seen the results of a friendly spar before?" Hiei rolled his eyes with a snicker. He carefully led her over to Touya and repositioned her to lean against him, giving Touya a vicious glare as his arm went around Ryann's waist for support.

"What? Oh darn, just my luck," Koenma muttered to himself as he realized Ryann was indeed alive and standing in his office again.

"Oh, Koenma? I think Botan needs a new oar. Hiei turned it into firewood," Ryann commented nonchalantly as Touya placed her on the ground and knelt by one of his packs. He withdrew the ever-familiar bandages and began wrapping the new wound on her ankle.

"So, why are we all here again?" Yusuke asked with slight impatience. He glanced around at the other people in the room, wondering why everyone had been summoned. Kuwabara was staring fixedly at Ryann's waving tails. Yusuke sweatdropped, knowing his friend/rival would get hurt if he actually touched them. With a shake of his head his eyes fell on Kurama. Always the gentleman, he was leaned against the back wall with a serene look on his face. He was watching Ryann whine with amusement, his gaze moving to Hiei for a reaction every time Touya's hands crossed her skin. Hiei was very interested in how long Touya let his hands linger on Ryann's leg as he wrapped her wounds, restraining himself from growling but not from glaring. Finally he found Touya and Ryann arguing over how tightly to wrap the bandages, though more so in a playful manner than serious. At one point, Ryann pushed the ice demon over and tossed the roll of gauze over his head, calling him a baka and laughing to herself. Like always, Ookami was watching over his mistress. He lazily kept an eye open as he rested on the nice, cool floor. **Nothing really interesting going on,** Yusuke thought with a sigh.

"Oh, right!" Koenma exclaimed, pulling a paper from the large stack on his left. He stamped it, and called for the ogre to get him the remote. On the screen was videos of Ryann's training and pictures of the notes she'd received.

"Um, is anyone else creeped-out by this stalker-like behavior?" Ryann asked the others. Everyone ignored her.

Koenma cleared his voice and stood on his chair with an air of authority. "We set up surveillance on Ryann a few weeks ago to make sure she was safe and to see if the person behind this would be watching you, too. Apparently he has, but we've seen no sign of this."

The latest note was enlarged on the screen, glowing with the daunting words.

_Hiding does no good if you leave parts of yourself out in the open. I'm coming for you, even if I have to get you bit by bit._

"Ne, Koenma. Why am I such a priority, anyway? Surely there are disputes like this in the Makai regularly." Touya gave her a funny look. "What, I know big words like "disputes," you know. I went to high school." Hiei snorted and Kurama smirked. She stuck her tongue out at them.

"Yeah, wouldn't it be easier if we just hand her over? Atleast that way his plan will be over. And we'll have one less psycho in the world," Yusuke said with an evil grin on his face. Kuwabara guffawed behind him.

"Aww, Yusuke, I didn't know you cared. I hope you die painfully and tragically, too," she called with a false cheery smile. "Prick," she muttered under her breath.

**I thought that was my nickname,** a taunting voice drawled in her mind.

She smirked. **Aww, is Hiei jealous of my affections toward the detective?** She winked at his enraged voice.

**No, but he**** better learn to keep his hands to himself while he still has them.** Ryann looked at him in confusion, only to have Hiei nod his head towards Touya. She realized that his hands were resting on her thighs as Touya listened to Koenma ramble about something. She smiled at the sentiment before letting a wicked expression take over. Slowly she placed her hands over Touyas, gaining a confused expression. She smiled and tilted her head lightly back to the fuming Hiei and laughed silently to herself. He shook his head, amused, and withdrew his hands, deciding it safer to sit back with a bit of distance between himself and Ryann.

"Ryann, are you listening?!" Koenma practically yelped, his face red.

"Not at all. Care to repeat?"

He growled to himself but was distracted by a report coming onto the screen. A familiar demon was showing being beaten and dragged away roughly by a group of burly demons. The victim was someone very close to him. Ryann thought everyone in her life was in that room and safe; she was wrong. Immediately she jumped to her feet, holding in the pain from her ankle and quickly shifting her weight to the other leg.

"Koenma, I have to go!"

"We're locating him right now," he answered just as urgently, shuffling through papers on his desk. Ryann shook her head and put her face in her palms.**I can't believe... This ****thing**** is low enough to go after him. Poor Kanaye**.

As soon as the location showed on screen, a building surrounded by mountains in the Makai, Ryann and the others hurried off on another rescue mission. A firm look was on Ryann's face. **It'll end here. It has to.**

**End**

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Big yay, I got the lines to work! I don't know why they didn't... Maybe it was me... Anyways, I shall respond to the lovely reviewers now! Huzzah

**Cornir**: Hi! No, I don't think you ever reviewed, but I appreciate this one all the same. I'm soooo sorry about my extended hiatus, but I'm back now and I'll be trying my hardest to keep posting as soon as possible. The next one should be out within a week or two. Thanks for reading!

**Kait-The-Fearless**: Ah, a newcomer! Atleast you didn't have to deal with my really long break. I'm really glad that you like my story. I have a bit of problem updating every one in a while from all of the junk in my life, so I'd love some patience. I hope you continue enjoying the story!

**deadlyblossom**: Sorry, I didn't update that quickly. Sadness, ne? I've been sick and we've been doing particularly annoying projects at school, plus I took my SAT last weekend. Not fun. But I'm trying my best! Your review is appreciated!

**TheSorrowfulVampress**: I feel so bad! I was gone for like 7 months... GOMEN NASAI!! I promise not to leave like that again! I really missed my story while I was away... and I came up with some great ideas. Hopefully the next chapters will make up for my absence? Maybe? Thank you for sticking with me though! That's true loyalty. Make's me wanna cry...

**SilverRaindropsFall**: Great, I've got a new nickname. For the record, though, the stitches are gone. But anyway, I missed you too!! Much much missage was occurring! And thank you soooo much for still reading my story and not abandoning me because of my hiatus. I really appreciate it. Thanks muchly!

**Jess Likes Biting**: I know it's easy to forget when I don't update. I'm gonna try really really hard to stay consistent. Really really hard. Thanks for still reading!!

**SongSiren**: It's all good. Getting grounded happens. I'm glad you reviewed though! You'll find out soon enough what happens, but things will keep changing until the end XD. That's okay, fat smileys are cute, too. They're not just happy, they're jolly!!

And all my other readers, and the reviewers from other chapters and practically everybody that's ever glanced at my stories, thank you all so much!! Hontou ni, it makes me feel more amazing than most people can ever imagine. Other writers understand this feeling... It's like crack... not that I would know, heh... MUCH LOVE!! Until the next time then? Soon, I swear! Mata!


	24. Chapter 24

Yo! Hisashiburi, ne? We're getting closer and closer to the part that I've been wanting to write since I started the story. Sadly, though, the ending is moving closer as well. Sooner than I expected, really. But, it's not over yet!

**Disclaimer: **You've read my writing. Do you really think I could come up with the genius that is Yu Yu Hakusho? Didn't think so. It's not mine.

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"Touya, move your frozen ass before I murder you," Ryann hissed with pure venom in her voice. The portal leading to Kanaye's captor was just behind him, but he stood firmly in the way with a stubborn expression. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"You're in no condition to go out on a rescue mission! None of your wounds have healed and you're practically dead on your feet. Let them go instead, they can handle it. If it'll make you feel better, I'll go with them." His reasoning met deaf ears.

"This is my fight! Kanaye was captured because of me, so it's my responsibility to help save him! What kind of person would I be if I let others fix what I caused?"

"What help will you be in this condition? Besides, if he only took Kanaye to get to you, then why would you give yourself to him for something we've all been trying to prevent? What sense does it make to put yourself within his reach?"

Five sets of eyes were watching the exchange with exasperated face. Ookami had made himself comfortable, knowing his mistress' stubborn attitude would never allow her to concede. Hiei was feeling mixed emotions. He agreed that Ryann wasn't healed enough to fight, but at the same time he wanted to see her in action against a real enemy.

A strange tingling sensation was tickling the back of Hiei's mind. It was a familiar feeling, and it was pleasant, not irritating. Oddly enough it wasn't trying to pry through the mental block he'd put around his thoughts and memories.

"Let me do this my way! This is first and foremost my fault, and I have to be held responsible for what happens on my account! Blame me, damn it, and let me fix it!"

"As long as I'm in charge of your protection it's my choice what you do and don't do. I say you're too injured to fight, and my word is final."

Two sets of growling drowned out most of the last sentence but Ryann caught "too injured" and her temper flared. The two previously offended parties both felt her energy spike and quieted. The tingle in Hiei's mind also strengthened almost concurrently.

"You're wrong, Touya." Ryann's voice was quiet and deadly, almost threatening him to protest. Her eyes were glowing softly. "My woulds are completely healed. I think you'll find Hiei's and Ookami's are as well. Here, look for yourself."

Touya's hard eyes flashed to Hiei. Slowly, deliberately, Hiei flexed all the muscles he'd injured in the fight, even the ones he'd only pulled. No pain. The bruise from the desk that was growing across his chest had even disappeared. He nodded to Touya, confirming what Ryann had said. Ookami yipped an agreement; he was fine, too.

Ryann deliberately shook her hands and legs, letting the wrappings around her wounds fall to the ground. They were red with blood, but her skin showed no sign of puncture, cut, bruise, or burn. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"How did...?" Touya mumbled to himself.

"Ice demon, remember? Healing power's are supposed to be part of the package, right?"

He made a face. "It's always been fighter or healer. I'm an ice apparition and I can't heal. I can only use my powers to fight. Hiei's part ice apparition, too, and he can't heal. Yukina can heal, but she can't fight with her powers."

"Who's Yukina?" she asked curiously. Everyone was very quiet after her question, looking off into space. She sighed. **I'm not getting any answers right now, not that I can afford to waste time with stories. **"Okay, never mind. Story time comes later. I'm healthy, I have a new power, and I'm going to get Kanaye. Feel free to come with me." She jumped into the air over Touya and landed right in the portal.

The landscape before Ryann was... like the evil castle in a story book, to be honest. Even the air around her was dark and heavy with a feeling of dread. A mountain rose in front of her, surrounded by thick gray clouds. Half way up the slope, a black stone building with ancient wooden doors sat on a plateau. Dead trees accentuated the creepy aura well. **Wow, someone knows how to pull off the antagonist look.**

The others appeared behind her, all managing to land on their feet. A mix of emotions hit Ryann when she realized that Touya hadn't come along. There wasn't much time to think about that, though, as an army of green marched in a very unorganized mess down the slope.

"Hey guys?" she called behind her. "I hope nobody had anything else to do today. This might take a while."

"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked like the idiot he was. Instead of looking up at the approaching demons, he was trying to find a quarter he'd dropped when he landed. He muttered something about "lucky quarter" before Ryann tapped his shoulder and forcefully lifted his face to finally see the castle. "Oh... that...."

The demons were walking with speed down the slope, straight for the army of 5 waiting with tense muscles and focused intent. Something happened, though, and the demons doubled, or even tripled, their speed, falling over each other and sliding along the once dirt ground. Once Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara saw the ground was now covered in a thin layer of ice, they turned to look at Ryann. She was smiling innocently, fangs poking over her teeth.

"Patience was never one of my strong points," she chuckled. Three pairs of eyes rolled in unison and Hiei snickered.

:: Fast Forward::

An hour into the fighting demons were still sliding precariously down the slope to join in the rumble at the bottom. Bodies were piled until they became an impediment, then Hiei burned them to ashes that blew into the wind and away from the carnage. As of then, the most serious problem was Ryann getting pissed off.

"Damn it, Hiei! Stop moving or I'll take something off," Ryann cried in exasperation. The fire demon kept obstructing her view and slashing every enemy that got within 15 yards of her. He darted forward to catch a giant butterfly-gone-horribly-wrong and she growled deep in her throat. **That was mine!**

"Either fire those stupid icicles or stand there and shut up," he hissed back as he kicked a snake-like demon in the throat. Another one took his distraction as an opportunity to slide through and Ryann lined up her shot. She sent a large hunk of ice flying and another little shard to break it into thousands of razor-sharp pieces. A smirk of satisfaction crossed her face before she realized there was a fire demon in her path. Hiei had decided to dispatch that demon as well, and landed right in front of her onslaught of ice. Quickly and carefully she tried to stop all of her little shards, a few of which embedded themselves in Hiei's hair and upper arms. He turned to glare at her.

"Alright, that's it!" she yelled, startling everyone in the vicinity including the attacking demons. Her eyes lit up with electric blue energy and a wall of ice began forming around Hiei. Before he could move the ice had enclosed his entire body, leaving only his head free. Ryann smiled cheekily at him. "Sorry, Hiei, you lost your movement privileges."

If looks could kill. Pleased with herself, she began striking at the brainless demons trying to take advantage of Hiei's situation. Every spare moment she would look back and laugh to herself at the angry expression on his face. As one point flames consumed his head and upper torso, but the ice stayed solid.

"Fire-proof! Little trick my dad taught me once upon a time. Stronger than steel, too." He growled and Ryann retorted by sticking her tongue out at him. In the process it was almost chopped off, along with everything above the neck.

"Need some help, Ryann?" called Kurama from somewhere to her right. Apparently he'd seen her near-beheading.

"Henki, henki! I can hold my own, but does anyone else want the strawberry short pop? He's distracting me."

Out of nowhere Kuwabara fell to the ground right in front of her. His hysterical laughter made her roll her eyes.

"Strawberry short pop! That was a good one, high five!" he shouted, jumping into the air with his hand raised and an expectant look on his face.

She stared at him. "Um, how about no?" And she continued fighting around the pouting idiot, berating herself for her stupid joke.

Amidst all of the mayhem nobody noticed two thin strips of fire snaking their way around the ankled of the attacking demons. The slithered closer and closer to their targets, weaving in and out of obstructions, never breaking the path they'd created in their wake that flowed back into the castle. Finally, they reached their target and encircled them, becoming one flame.

A dazing inferno suddenly flared around Hiei and Ryann, creating a circle between them and the other demons that stretched into a path up the mountain. The ice that had incapacitated the demons was less than a puddle, eated up by the intense heat of the flames. In her distraction, Ryann dropped her control over the ice block Hiei was trapped in. It melted almost instantly and the water sizzled away. Demons trying to breach the wall of fire were instantly charred not only where they touched, but their entire body. The thousands that were still pushing their way down the slope were instantly consumed by the greedy flames.

Ryann eyed the fire with apprehension. Hiei gave them a guarded glance, expecting them to advance on him and Ryann.

"Hiei, Ryann, what the hell is going on over there?" Yusuke called from behind the flames. Despite the hundreds of bodies he'd already piled and had burned, there was no hint of fatigue in his voice, just frustration.

"I don't know," Ryann called back. "I have a strange feeling, though, that the fire path leads to hell." She glanced sideways. "That's strengthened by the fact that Hiei's caught in here with me." He growled at her, and it was pretty obvious that Yusuke rolled his eyes, too.

"Ryann, shut up," he called back to her. "Hiei, you and Ryann go up the path. We'll follow as soon as we can, but it might take a while. If you can't handle what's in there, wait for us."

"Your lack of belief in my abilities is annoying, Detective. We'll clear this up before you can move a foot closer to this path. If you're still alive by then."

And with that Hiei zipped up the path, his shadow dancing by firelight. Ryann looked back momentarily at her friends fighting the remaining demons, and followed the lighted path much slower than he had. **I feel like this is the Wizard of Oz. Except I'm following a road outlined by fire, not made of yellow brick. And the wizard kinda wants to kill me. **She sighed to herself. **Once difference though... Dorothy got to leave the munchkins behind. Mine is leading the way. **

The entrance to the castle was outlined by gargoyles that made the demons at the bottom of the mountain look like models. Shadows only made their appearance look even creepier as the fire extended a bit further through the archway and ending suddenly.

"So," Ryann said in a conversational voice, "if we keep going down the eerie, dark hallway, shall we walk by yellow fire-light or blue ice-light? Or you could do that darkness flame stuff and make my white shirt glow by the black light. Whatever makes his majesty happy."

He rolled his eyes and conjured a flame in his fist. The path lit up just enough to see a few yards ahead, but Hiei walked forward (at a slower pace, thank goodness) without fear. Ryann followed, trusting his confidence. A feeling in her stomach told her, either way, she wouldn't leave the same person... if she would leave at all.

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So, now it's time to acknowledge the great people that leave reviews. Much love, guys, much love!

**Kait-The-Fearless:** You should know Hiei wouldn't kill her! Come on. More excitement to come, though. The next chapter is going to be kinda tense. Thanks for the review!!

**Kurai-Gaara:** I'm sorry that your computer wouldn't let you review, but I'm glad you managed to do so! I appreciate it. It makes me feel special :) Arigatou!

**SilverRaindropsFall:** I should scold you for not remembering Kanaye, but I guess it's partly my fault. Mostly my fault. Almost totally my fault. Oh well. I'm still waiting to hear what I am this time! Thanks for sticking with me and continuing to review!

**Rachaeltje:** Glad you like it, hope you like this chapter and those to come, too! Thanks for the review!

**Diamonds of the Night:** It's all good, I don't expect my readers to review every chapter. I appreciate all that you've reviewed and that you're still reading my story! Thank you, so very much!

Until the next time, hopefully it will take less time to update this time around. Ja mata!


	25. Chapter 25

Sorry guys! I wrote this chapter on Thanksgiving but my internet went out, then I was sick, so I didn't post it until the other day. Only after I posted did I find out that I forgot to change my message at the beginning -_-' Gomen!

**Disclaimer: **I give thanks to the great writer of this amazing series, and am saddened that it is not mine.

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Fire and ice demon walked cautiously together through the dark corridors, warily eyeing the shadows dancing on the wall from an electric blue globe glowing in Ryann's palm. Only after complaining about the dark did she manage to convince Hiei to let her produce the light. Besides, now they could see much further around them.

The bare stone corridor turned to the left and opened into a similarly bare room. A dull glow came from a candelabra with no flames hanging from a chain that didn't connect with the ceiling. Similar candelabras were attached to the wall, all with the same flame-less light.

"Okay, something here has a really bad aura about it," Ryann whispered. Slowly Hiei nodded, scanning the empty space. "And I have a strange feeling that even though we don't see anything, we aren't alone in here."

From the a section of the stone floor directly in front of the two, a great brown creature rose from the floor. Wings curled and beat a few times before curling up at its side as is settled on its feet. Two slitted eyes stared down over a curved beak opened in a shrill scream. The beast flexed its front feet, talons scratching the floor as if cutting through cardboard. Feathers covered the beast's head, torso, and front legs, merging into fur that covered its back legs and lower back. A long tail tipped with a tuft of hair curled around the legs of a large cat as it sat down. _Well, well. I must say I was expecting bigger prey. The two of you are hardly enough for a snack._

The air crackled with energy and Ryann glared at Hiei. **Calm down! That was directed at me as much as it was you and I'm not turning this room into an ice rink, am I?** He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly the air calmed. The griffin looked interested.

_I'm impressed. Not only does the male have fairly high spirit energy, but he's blocking me from both his and the female's mind. Should I ask what your names are or does it matter?_

**Hiei, let down the shield over me.**

His shoulders tensed. **Are you insane?! We don't know what this creature wants or what it could do. **

Ryann nudged his shoulder roughly as she stepped from behind him and walked a few steps toward the griffin. **Don't try to control me! It's my mind, so let me make my own mistakes about it. **The connection between their minds disappeared but she heard footsteps behind her as Hiei moved closer. Ryann looked up at the griffin.

_Are you two done quarreling?_

**Minor disagreement. To answer you're question, though, my name is Ryann. His name is his to tell. **

**Hiei** he chimed in from behind her, though it sounded strained.

Its slitted eyes shimmered with intelligence. _Ryann Yukiko, daughter of Yasuo. Hiei Jaganshi, son of Hina. You're known to me. I am Saichi, a griffin. Sadly I am under commands from Oonushi and I'm to present a barrier. There are a few more obstacles after me to "test" you, as he says. Personally, I think he's just pla-_

A low hiss took the place of speech and Saichi kneeled in pain, revealing an unknown symbol on its neck. It stood and shook its head a few times.

**You're a prisoner?** Ryann asked in horror.

Saichi looked directly at her and Ryann could see unshed tears in its eyes. _I am a vessel and have been chosen to perform a duty. Once that duty is fulfilled I will be used again when needed. That is my fate. Now, I am to give you a riddle. It is less to test your knowledge than your memory. You are not to answer the riddle, but to point out it's mistake. Are you prepared?_

Ryann, almost in tears herself, nodded stiffly. **I'm ready.**

_Very well. The riddle is one known to you. The riddle is 'What creature goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, and on three in the evening?' You may deliberate with your companion. You must remember not to answer it, but to identify what is wrong._

Ryann turned to Hiei. **I've never heard of this riddle** he admitted.

**I have, in school. It's mentioned in the story of Oedipus. **

**Oedipus?**

**It's a Greek story. Fate said he would kill his father and marry his mother and it happened even though everyone tried to prevent it. Before this happened, though, he heard this riddle to get into Thebes, where he used to live and where his mother was. The answer is man. He crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and uses a stick as a crutch in old age.**

**Then tell it that and let's get going!**

**No, don't you remember? It's not the answer to the riddle, it's what is wrong. The wording of the riddle is absolutely correct. Besides the obvious that we aren't Oedipus...**

Ryann bit her claws as she tried to think quickly. She'd done a report on the project a few years before and made a three-dimensional model to go with it. It was a highlighted memory because the teacher yelled at her for making her sphinx have bared breasts.

Sphinx. Not griffin.

"I've got it!" Ryann yelled. Saichi turned to her. "Oedipus was trying to get into Thebes and had to answer the sphinx's riddle, not a griffin's! You're the wrong mythical creature."

Saichi's eyes smiled down at her. _Correct. I don't think I will stick to the myth either. Sphinxes were much too proud. I have no problem admitting defeat, particularly when another life depends on it. _She moved to the side and bowed her regal head. Ryann and Hiei hurried past and into another corridor.

"What did it mean, it won't stick to the myth?" Hiei asked once they were out of sight of the griffin. Ryann smiled with mixed emotions.

"She meant that in the story, the sphinx killed herself when her riddle was solved. She won't."

"She?"

A serious expression crossed her features and tears began welling up in her eyes again. "You didn't hear the second heartbeat coming from her stomach? She's pregnant. That's the leverage keeping her in servitude, I'd bet."

Silence filled the empty passageway as they continued toward the next obstacle on their mission. Their mind had already been tested, so what would be next? The straight corridor continued on for miles with no end in sight.

"I wonder how the guys are doing at the base of the mountain," Ryann mused quietly. "We're too far inside to sense their energy."

"The Detective is too stubborn to die here, as is the fox." Hiei smirked wickedly. "I don't expect the idiot to still be alive unless he's being protected."

She snorted. Then sneezed. Twice. Out of nowhere she was attacked with a barrage of sneezes without relief. Hiei rolled his eyes and hit her hard in the back before grabbing her hand and placing it over her nose.

Ryann coughed and sighed. "There's gun powder in here. I'm allergic to it. Some part of this hallway is either about to blow up or burst into flames." She coughed again and sneezed. "I suggest if we don't want to be grilled we go ahead as fast as possible. And yes, that means you go and I'll catch up."

He shook his head. "I'll be damned before that happens."

She groaned. "Why does nobody listen to me? This is my mission!"

"And I'm not letting you go alone. Get the hell over it." He moved in front of her and crouched down. "Get on."

"Nani?"

"I said get on. I'm faster and this place will blow up, right? Don't make me say it again."

"Yes sir," Ryann muttered and gingerly wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands came around and grabbed her thighs before he darted off down the hallway. "Whoa, motion sickness," she mumbled, watching her surrounding pass by in a blur.

"Close your eyes, then."

The distance passed them in a blur but time seemed to drag on. For hours there was no difference in the seemingly endless corridor they were currently in.

Ryann sniffed the air before going into another sneezing fit. "Hiei, stop!" she called between sneezes. "We aren't getting anywhere and we're still surrounded by powder." He slowed to a stop and stooped to plant her on her feet. A few seconds after she touched the ground a huge fire jumped to life in front of and behind them, licking the ceiling and the walls containing it. "You know, I'm getting tired of so much freaking fire," she mumbled. "No offense, Hiei."

"Hn."

The fires blocked the entire path in both directions, imprisoning the two in a very hot, very bright space. "So... now what?" Ryann asked. "Obviously we've got to think of some plan to get through one of these, preferably the one in front of us. Why are you pacing?"

Hiei was moving swiftly back and forth between the two flames with a concentrated expression on his face. "Fire thrives on oxygen. We're surrounded by fire with no air source. Between our breathing and the fires we'll suffocate in a matter of minutes."

Ryann blinked. "Kuso!" she cursed loudly. She too began pacing a few feet away from Hiei. "We're trapped, the three outside may be dead for all we know, Kanaye is still in danger, Touya's freakin pissed at me, and I can't breathe for a minute without sneezing from all of this damn pow-whoa!"

The sudden stop of her sentence made Hiei turn around in alarm. Ryann was nowhere to be seen. He was about to reach out with his Jagan to try and make contact but a sneeze from just behind the fire in front of him stopped him.

"Daijoubu! I tripped. The fire's a sham; it must just be an illusion."

Hiei looked down. "What did you trip over?" he called, walking through the illusion himself. Ryann was on the floor, rubbing one of her tails with a pained expression.

She winced. "I don't wanna talk about it." Hiei rolled his eyes and surveyed the scene ahead of them. The endless passageway that was before them was gone, replaced instead with another open room. This one was a bit more inviting, lit by a fireplace in one corner with random paintings hanging from the walls. Food was sitting on a table in front of the fire, still steaming.

"Come on, do they really think we're that stupid? I know better than to eat what my enemy leaves out for me. Let's go." Ryann walked past the table but not before flicking her tails against it, sending the table and its contents into the fire. "I'm not going to be distracted until this is done and we're all home safe."

"It might not be that easy, dearest Ryann," a deep, masculine voice called from the tunnel ahead of them. "You'll need the food for energy. Now there's no excuse for you to leave before you face me. And here I was trying to be generous. Oh well, you're loss. I hope you're ready."

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Yay! I know this chapter was a little... random, but it was necessary. Sorry for the allusion, but I kinda had to. Note: I do not own the story of Oedipus or any of its components. You probably guessed that. I want to thank all my lovely reviewers for their love and input now~!

**Kait-The-Fearless:** Sorry if I confused you, I didn't mean to! I'm glad that it was all cleared up though. Tell me if I confuse you in this chapter because then I'm not writing like I should. Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing!!

**Jess Likes Biting:** The Wizard of Oz thing wasn't even really planned, it just kinda happened. I'm glad it amused you, though, because I thought it was kinda cheesy. Oh well, that's just me. I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Arigatou for the review!

**Rachaeltje:** I'm dragging my readers around for a bit before I get to the really good part. The next chapter is when things get interesting. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lee Wolf 10:** Hello! Thanks for the review and I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Please keep giving me feedback as you read so I can improve my writing. I hope you keep reading!!

**Diamonds of the Night:** Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far, and I hope you continue liking it as I keep writing. I worry that I'll do something wrong, like make a completely random chapter (like this one -_-) or make a character a little OOC and my readers will get mad and stop reading. That's why I like reviews, so they can keep me on track.

Until the next chapter! It'll be much better than this one, I promise!!


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